Lee Mingwei; photo Saul Steed.
Lee Mingwei: Sonic Blossom
An immersive gift of song at the Art Gallery of South Australia.
The Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA) welcomes international artist Lee Mingwei and his Sonic Blossom FREE public art installation, a gift of song that audiences can experience at AGSA everyday throughout November as part of Oz Asia Festival 2019.
Sonic Blossom will see singers perform one of German composer Schubert’s five Lieder (songs made for solo voice) to gallery visitors. This presentation features nine South Australian classically trained singers ranging in voice and age, who were successful in auditions held earlier this year and selected by the artist.
Lee Mingwei, Taiwan, born 1964, Sonic Blossom, 2019, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, performance; © Lee Mingwei.
During exhibition hours, the singer meanders through the gallery, finding a visitor and offering them the gift of song. This happens sporadically both in time and location – the folding and unfolding of a Sonic Blossom – a concept that is visualised through the singer’s ceremonial costume which, for AGSA’s presentation has been made by celebrated Sydney designer Akira Isogawa.
Originally created for the opening of South Korea’s National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Sonic Blossom has engaged audiences at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Centre Pompidou in Paris, and Museum MACAN in Jakarta.
Lee Mingwei, Taiwan, born 1964, Sonic Blossom, 2019, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, performance; © Lee Mingwei.
Sonic Blossom came into existence while Mingwei was caring for his ill mother. They both found comfort in listening to Franz Schubert’s Lieder and it soothed his mother’s healing process. In his practice, artist Lee Mingwei invites his audiences to explore notions of trust, intimacy and self-awareness through immersive gallery experiences that look at the everyday experiences like eating, sleeping, walking, conversation and song.
Sonic Blossom is presented in partnership with OzAsia Festival 2019 and is supported by the University of Adelaide’s Elder Conservatorium of Music and AGSA’s Contemporary Collectors.
See footage from Lee Mingwei’s exhibit at Centre Pompidou in Paris:
For more information and all enquiries please visit the AGSA website.
What: Sonic Blossom
When: Friday 1 November – Sunday 1 December 2019
Where: Art Gallery of South Australia (moves around various galleries) | North Terrace, Adelaide
Who: Everyone
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
Image Source: Supplied
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