His work situated in the ground floor of Biennial Visitor Centre, former Rapid Store. The Exhibition on the ground floor called “Rethinking Trade” and Lee’s work connected to this idea very personally and perfect. His performance-installation is about communication between people. His work is about – “Artist have to be useful. They have to fill a role.”(quote from interview Louise Bourgeois and Ingrid Sischy)
What is more important, in my opinion, that Taiwan born artist Lee Mingwei brought for the western society viewers his message about importance of skills and abilities to do forgotten in rich countries work as a sewing and repairing of clothing.
I think nobody, especially young people in UK, have never done sewing because it is not necessary anymore in the richest country in the world when clothing cost very cheap and average income are high. Western society became extremely consumer society based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase commodity goods in ever greater amounts.
Lee has forced people through his art to bring piece of clothing for repair not only because it is important to anybody to repair old clothing but because it is part of communication for lonely people and for repairing Lee ask people to share with him stories or conversation.
Biennial artistic director Lewis Biggs said: “Made Up was about the power of imagination.
“Touched is more about what’s real now, it’s much more in the present, about locating ourselves in our physical surroundings.
“The word touched is meant to have many meanings and in the show we have a different approach to the theme from different venues.
“It celebrates the fact we’ve commissioned numbers of artworks that have touched the people of this city as well as changing the urban fabric.”
Biennial artistic director Lewis Biggs said: “Made Up was about the power of imagination.
“Touched is more about what’s real now, it’s much more in the present, about locating ourselves in our physical surroundings.
“The word touched is meant to have many meanings and in the show we have a different approach to the theme from different venues.
“It celebrates the fact we’ve commissioned numbers of artworks that have touched the people of this city as well as changing the urban fabric.”
Lee Mingwey begun to his “Mending” after death of his close friend as a cure for depression after lost. It is very significant about clothing that cloth is closest to human skin and cloth are always touching our skin. “Touched” is the name of Liverpool Biennial and Lee’s art touch viewers as well.
