Time │ 2015/07/04 (Sat.)
12:00~16:30 Visitors will be invited to walk on the sand-painting.
16:30~17:00 Artist Lee Mingwei and his assistants will conduct a performance.
Venue │ Gallery 1A&1B
In Guernica in Sand, Lee Mingwei used Picasso’s Guernica as the departure point for a different view of the damage done when human beings are victimized. Instead of simply being critical of what happened in the Basque town of Guernica in 1937, the artist wanted to use the concept of impermanence as a lens for focusing on such violent events in terms of the ongoing phenomena of destruction and creation. Lee used sand to symbolize these processes, since its “lifespan” includes being “born” from the erosion of rock by the action of water or wind, and being reformed into rock by the action of pressure or heat. His goal is to draw attention to the creative power of transformation, rather than to the pain caused by clinging to things as they are.
In this project the artist creates the majority of a sand-painting version of Guernica before the exhibition opens. Then, he creates the remainder of the piece within one day, midway through the exhibition. This performance commences at sunrise and concludes at sunset. Throughout this day, one person at a time is allowed to walk (ideally barefoot) on the sand-painting, effacing it at the same time the artist creates it. Visitors are allowed to view this process of simultaneous creation and destruction from the vantage point of a small island constructed above the sand-painting. At sunset on that day, participants are invited to sweep the sand toward the middle of the installation, and the project is then left in this condition until the exhibition closes.
Please note:
- Only one viewer is allowed to walk on the sand-painting per time.
- If children enter the sand-painting area, parents can keep their company.
Links
Performance of Guernica in Sand - Visitors will be invited to walk on the sand-painting!
Lee Mingwei and His Relations: The Art of Participation── Seeing, Conversing, Gift-giving, Writing, Dining and Getting Connected to the World