Lee Mingwei
Taiwanese-born artist Lee Mingwei challenges traditional notions of a work of art. Instead of making objects that occupy a given space in a gallery, Lee’s works are collaborations with people, places, and institutions around the world. From his interaction with individuals, certain visual and physical themes develop as metonymic devices, standing in for the entire process of the work.
For Between the Lakes, Lee decided to orchestrate the ancient Chinese ritual of the Zhua-Zhou. For a Zhua-Zhou, relatives and friends of a one-year-old baby bring gifts to a party. The gifts could be pens, pencils, books, or mobile telephones, or any number of other objects. The child is placed on the floor among the items. If the child gravitates towards one object over another, it is an indication of what he/she might become in the future. The event as a whole begs the question: what role this child will have in this community. For this project, Lee poses the question: what role will the new and improved Madison Museum of Contemporary Art have in our city?
Lee encouraged anyone involved with the project, with the building, with the past and future of the museum, to think about and then comment on this question. The responses have been thought-provoking, generous, loving, and numerous. Certain objects given, such as money balls or elephant piggy banks, convey our need for increased funding. Other gifts such as a Genesis patch or a cookbook with artfully folded pages express our ability to bring creativity and innovation to Madison. In the end, Lee made it clear that art might begin with the artist, but it always includes us.