October 7, 2016–February 12, 2017
Opening performance: Thursday, October 6, 5pm
Williams College Museum of Art
15 Lawrence Hall Dr.
Williamstown, MA 01267
Hours: Friday–Tuesday 10am–5pm,
Thursday 10am–8pm
David Zink Yi’s first museum exhibition in the United States brings together his work in sculpture, photography, music, and video and marks his foray into collaborative live performance. Developed with writer and artist Angie Keefer, and performed with musicians Marvin Diz, Eliel Lazo, Regis Molina, and Onel Matos Somoza, Zink Yi’s original work at the Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) fuses Minimalist sculptural and musical traditions, Afro-Cuban spiritual music, and spoken word structures. Being the measure will be on view from October 7, 2016 through February 12, 2017 with the opening performance on Thursday, October 6, 2016 at 5pm.
Interested in the ways identity finds expression through the body, Zink Yi is known for video installations that dwell upon physiological aspects of musical perception, and for large-scale sculptures of squids and octopuses, animals whose apparent physical identity may change dramatically as a form of communication or defense. Born in Peru, Zink Yi trained as a sculptor in Germany and developed a passion for Cuba’s music, history, and culture when he traveled there in 2001 and began studying Afro-Cuban percussion. He draws an analogy between a cephalopod’s limbs, which operate relatively independently from the animal’s central brain, and the “independence” achieved by some advanced musicians, particularly percussionists, whose limbs take on seeming autonomy when they play.
The exhibition combines the varied aspects of Zink Yi’s practice with an experimental performance commissioned by WCMA. A spoken word text developed by Angie Keefer and a constellation of brightly painted wooden sculptures specially designed for their acoustic qualities will be activated by Zink Yi and four Cuban musicians, including three percussionists and a saxophonist, during the October 6 performance. Bodies, sounds, and words in turn become sculptural elements in a projected video work created from footage captured during performance rehearsals, while four bronze sculptures of anatomically precise octopus segments contrast with the minimal geometry of the wooden forms.
“Our invitation to David was intentionally open, an opportunity for him to do something he’d never done before. With Being the measure’s collaborative performance and multi-media installation, he took full advantage of the intimate, interdisciplinary environment of Williams and pushed his practice in an exciting new direction.” Lisa Dorin, deputy director for curatorial affairs and curator of contemporary art.
The exhibition is co-organized with the Mistake Room in Los Angeles where it will be reprised in early 2018. A publication will be produced by the Serving Library, the non-profit artists’ organization “dedicated to publishing and archiving in a continuous loop,” co-founded by Keefer.
Rehearsal space generously provided by Johann Koenig.
About the artist
Born in Peru in 1973 David Zink Yi studied sculpture at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts and the University of the Arts in Berlin. He currently lives and works in Berlin. Zink Yi’s work is represented in public and private collections throughout the world including Museum Ludwig in Cologne, Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and Museo de Arte in Lima. He has had numerous solo and group exhibitions, including the 8th Berlin Biennial and Prospect.3 New Orleans. Zink Yi is represented by Hauser & Wirth, Zurich, London, New York, Somerset, Los Angeles; Johann Koenig Galerie, Berlin; and Livia Benavides in Lima, Peru.
Related program
Thursday, October 13, 4pm
Close Look
Curator Lisa Dorin and Angie Keefer discuss the collaborative process and the development of the textual component of Zink Yi’s work.
Williams College Museum of Art
The Williams College Museum of Art makes dynamic art experiences to incite new thinking about art, museums, and the world. At the heart of the Williams College campus the museum draws on the collaborative and multidisciplinary ethos of the surrounding college to enliven the more than 14,000 works in its growing collection. The museum and its collection are a catalyst for student learning and community engagement.
Press contact: Kim Hugo, Communications Manager; T 413 597 3352; [email protected]
