FreePort [No. 005]: Michael Lin
March 22, 2012 through May 27, 2013
Peabody Essex Museum, Massachusetts
Located in the: Asian Export Art: China, Mellon Staircase and Galleries
Michael Lin delves into the Peabody Essex Museum’s renowned collection of Asian Export Art to animate the history of trade between China and the West. Part display and part performance, the show includes dramatic ornamental murals, photographs, prints, specially commissioned vases, and a large-scale installation of hundreds of replicas of ‘Mr. Nobody’, which is a key object in PEM’s Asian Export Collection and dates from 1690 and is one of the first depictions of a European in Chinese porcelain.
“Michael Lin’s artwork eloquently explores cultural translation, craftsmanship and commerce. Lin’s installation at PEM vividly connects east and west, past and present by animating global trade relationships established 300 years ago and playfully redefining what Asian Export Art looks like today.” Comments Trevor Smith, PEM’s Curator of Contemporary Art.
Visit Peabody Essex Museum website to read more.
To learn more about the artist, please visit the ARTIST PAGE