We are honored to have collaborated with renowned artist, Lee Mingwei, for a second time for his first major U.S. exhibition. To display his “breath drawings,” and hold candles that illuminate the alabaster slabs, we designed stands made of wood and bronze.
Rotating shields allow the performer to easily access the candles, and create dramatic sweeps of light and shadow as they are moved. While the bronze pieces glint in the candlelight, the wood legs offer a delicate strength and texture.
Artist Statement:
“As I grappled with bulletins of escalating global discord, I found myself inundated with tumultuous emotions. To mediate the stress, I adopted a regimen of deep, tranquil breathing. This practice not only grounded me but also provided the creative impetus for a new work: Chaque Souffle une Danse (Each Breath a Dance). Over an extended period of time, when the sun began its descent toward the horizon, I embarked on the creation of a ‘breath drawing.’ This practice entailed placing droplets of sumi ink onto an alabaster slab immediately following my mediation. The drawing would emerge from several sustained, contemplative breaths that distributed ink over the surface. Each one thus assumed a distinctive essence, an embodiment of the atmospheric conditions and emotional context inherent at the specific moment of creation.
When the project is activated, a performer enters the gallery, moving slowly among the stands displaying the alabaster breath drawings. Upon encountering each drawing, the performer lights a candle. Once all the panels are lit, the performer extinguishes each candle one by one. The gallery space cycles between states of illumination and darkness. This luminosity and obscurity may function as a delicate balance to the breath drawings, nudging thoughts toward a transitory essence of existence.
The performance is not merely a companion to the breath drawings but a metaphysical space for reflection, offering viewers a journey through rhythms that punctuate both art and life, a possible contemplation of the symbiosis between opposites, and how one gives meaning to the other.”
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