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Culture

Lee Mingwei in the Turbine Hall

The act of sweeping or creating a new environment through a physical action can have different meanings: cultural, provocation, performance, artistic, personal, to help and to save the Planet, to stay better in life, to create troubles, to protest against a trend, ext.
At Tate Modern, Turbine Hall, this kind of performance has always been designed to combine action with aggression, action with sweetness, action with meditation.
Outdoor or indoor these performances are always designed to involve the spectator who stands in front. It can become a situation from which to vilify, but it can also be a destructive time to make a new creation.
Our Labyrinth performance transforms the simple act of sweeping into a contemplative and gestural performance, bringing a sense of ritual to the gallery.
As reported: two dancers with bells tied to their ankles move slowly as they sweep the grains of rice into patterns. Over time the dancers shape the grains in a series of labyrinthine paths on an ink pool-shaped floor. The work is inspired by the artist’s experience of visiting ancient temples in Myanmar, where the paths leading from the huts to the temples are walked by volunteers. The show has been staged in Taipei, Shanghai, Paris, Jakarta, Berlin, New York and Tokyo, and the edition presented at the Tate Modern is the first time the work has expanded to include two artists dancing at a time.
Our Labyrinth is curated by Tamsin Hong, Assistant Curator, International Art, Catherine Wood, Senior Curator, International Art (Performance) and Devika Singh, Curator, International Art. It is supported by the Performance Activation Fund, Ministry of Culture Taiwan and Tate Asia-Pacific Acquisitions Committee.
Born in Taichung (Taiwan) in 1964 and currently living in Paris and New York City, Lee Mingwei creates participatory installations exploring issues such as trust, intimacy, and self-awareness. He often takes everyday interactions as his starting point, from eating and sleeping to walking and conversation.
Our Labyrinth was acquired for Tate’s collection in 2020 and is being staged for the first time as part of Tate Modern’s free displays, underscoring Tate’s commitment to live art and performance as an integral part of art history.

Lee Mingwei
Our Labyrinth
26 May – 15 June 2022 from 10:30-17:30 (and until 21:30 on 27 May)
Admission free
Tate Modern, Turbine Hall

by Alain Chivilò