Painting to be installed on the floor of the Museum’s Robinson Atrium in April
ATLANTA, April 2, 2015 – The floor of the High Museum of Art’s Robinson Atrium will soon be covered by a monumental, site-specific painting by acclaimed Shanghai-based artist Michael Lin.
On view beginning April 24, 2015, and spanning 2,000 square feet, “Utah Sky 2065-40 (blue curve)” is a triangular-shaped painting constructed of 1-inch thick wood panels, featuring a brightly colored floral pattern inspired by a traditional Asian textile print.
Lin is widely known for his hand-painted architectural interventions. His monumental installations re-conceptualize public spaces using patterns and designs often appropriated from traditional textiles. Visitors will be encouraged to walk on and immerse themselves in “Utah Sky,” which Lin created for the High’s Robinson Atrium in response to architect Richard Meier’s soaring spaces and stunning skylight. The artist also took inspiration from Ellsworth Kelly’s shaped canvases, which are on view in the High’s modern and contemporary art permanent collection galleries. The work’s enigmatic title refers to one of the Benjamin Moore paint colors featured in the design.
Like conceptual artist Sol LeWitt, Lin collaborates with other artists and art students to create his installations. For the High’s installation, seven Atlanta artists will work with Lin and his studio to hand paint the panels on site at the High. These local artists will include Curtis Ames, Nick Bable, Henry Detweiler, Heidi Graf, Abbie Merritt, Mac Stewart and Linze Yarbrough.
“Michael’s works address the power of collective action, the value of labor and the importance of craft. He approaches painting as a bounded, physical space—one that we can inhabit—rather than as an object only to be viewed and contemplated,” said Michael Rooks, Wieland Family Curator of modern and contemporary art. “Our visitors will find a very deep connection to the creative process as they move within the space of the piece. Also especially gratifying to me is the chance to work with a great and enthusiastic crew of Atlanta-based artists to create this installation for the city.”
“Utah Sky” continues the Museum’s efforts to encourage visitor engagement through site-specific installations and will be on view concurrently with “Los Trompos” (“The Spinning Tops”), the High’s second large-scale, interactive installation designed by contemporary Mexican artists Hector Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena for the Sifly Piazza.
About Michael Lin
Raised in Taiwan, Lin (b. 1964 in Tokyo, Japan) lives between Brussels, Shanghai and Taipei. Lin creates paintings and site-specific installations that appropriate images and products from regional cultures and histories and reflect upon the quotidian reality shaped by today’s cultures and policies.
Lin has been included in many international museum shows and biennales, including “The Spectacle of the Everyday” (Biennale de Lyon, France, 2009), “Super Fengshui” (Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, 2008), Moscow Biennial of Contemporary Art (Moscow, 2007), “Notre Histoire” (Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2006), “Spring 2003″ (Palais de Tokyo, Site de Creation Contemporaine, Paris, 2003), “Bibliotherapy” (with Rémy Markowitsch, Kuntsmuseum, Lucerne, 2003), “International:Liverpool Biennial” (Liverpool, 2002), “The Gravity of the Immaterial” (Total Museum, Seoul, 2002), 7th Istanbul Biennal (Istanbul, 2002), “The Gravity of the Immaterial” (Institute of Contemporary Art, Taipei, 2001), 49th Biennial of Venice, Taiwan Pavilion (Venice, 2001), and “The Sky Is the Limit” (Taipei Biennial, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, 2000). His recent solo exhibitions include “Model Home: A Proposition by Michael Lin” (Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai, 2012), “Michael Lin: A Modest Veil” (Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, 2010), and “Michael Lin” (Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, 2005), among many others.
Exhibition Support
This exhibition is organized by the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, and made possible through the generous support of Susan and Carl Cofer, Melissa and Philip Babb, Robert Brawner, Stan Cohen, Louis Corrigan, Jordan and Mandy Mayers, and the Friends of Contemporary Art. In-kind support has been provided by Bobbo Jetmundsen.
High Museum of Art
The High is the leading art museum in the southeastern United States. With more than 14,000 works of art in its permanent collection, the High has an extensive anthology of 19th- and 20th-century American and decorative art; significant holdings of European paintings; a growing collection of African American art; and burgeoning collections of modern and contemporary art, photography, folk art and African art. The High is also dedicated to supporting and collecting works by Southern artists. For more information, visit high.org.
The Woodruff Arts Center
The Woodruff Arts Center is one of the largest arts centers in the world, home to the Alliance Theatre, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the High Museum of Art and Arts for Learning. Each year, these arts organizations play host to over 1.2 million patrons at The Woodruff Arts Center’s midtown Atlanta location, one of the only arts centers in the United States to host both visual and performing arts on a single campus. Through its work with educators and schools, The Woodruff Arts Center serves over 300,000 students annually and is the largest arts educator in Georgia.
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DIGITAL IMAGES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
Media contacts:
Marci Tate
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High Museum of Art
Tel: 404-733-4585
E-mail: marci.tate@woodruffcenter.org
Anne Randolph Powell
Public Relations Specialist
Tel : 404-733-4423
E-mail: annerandolph.powell@woodruffcenter.org