Time: 10:00 – 17:30, 19 April – 11 May 2014 (closed on every Monday)
Venue: Chengdu MOCA
Over the past decades, British artist Michael Pinsky’s art works can be seen as a striking exploration of public art and participatory art in the Western context, especially in Europe. His influential projects: Plunge (2012), which is located on the Duke of York Column, the Paternoster Square Column and the Seven Dials Sundial Pillar in the UK and Horror Vacui (2007) in Portugal, for instance, illustrate a shifting between the desires of local publics and cultural specific locations. Most importantly, rather than operate from a position of institutional or critical distance, Pinsky’s working methodology is “deliberately hospitable” (J.J. Charlesworth, 2009) – it focuses on the connection and development with the local community. His open approach suggests significant potential to foster meaningful co-operational opportunities between his practice and the Chinese cultural community.
He has exhibited extensively in galleries and festivals such as TATE Britain, the Saatchi Gallery, the ICA, London; BALTIC, Gateshead; Centre for Contemporary Art, Glasgow; Modern Art Oxford; Milton Keynes Gallery; Cornerhouse, Manchester; Liverpool Biennial; Archilab, Orleans; CCC, Tours; France, Armory Center of the Arts; Los Angeles and the Rotterdam International Architectural Biennial.
Dr. Michael Pinsky graduated from the Royal College of Art. He has received numerous awards from the RSA, Arts Council England, Arts and Business, the Wellcome Trust, His exhibition Pontis was shortlisted for the prestigious Gulbenkian Museums Award.
The participatory event at Chengdu MOCA is planning to use a similar methodology. Through a researching trip, the artist takes the inspiration from Chengdu traditional social and cultural atmosphere, creating an installation work which engages the local public to get involved in an event.. The proposition which lies behind participatory art event is to extend the educational function of MOCA – not only to allow local communities to have free access to a current contemporary art practice, but also to see this practice from a Western point of view to allow the public to reconsider the relationship between oriental and occidental notions of art practice.