Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Four site specific sculptures bythe Beijing based artist will be
revealed in fall 2026. This is the Met S 7th annual
Facade Commission and the third under the museum S multi year
partnership with Genesis. At a press conference in Paris,
the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced that it will unveil a
(00:20):
new suite of sculptures by Lou Wei, born 1972 Beijing, China,
next year in the niches of its 5th Ave.
Facade, marking the artist S first major project in the
United States. Liu, known for his monumental
and evocative sculptural installations, will bring his
observations of the present to the urban and historical
(00:43):
contexts of the Met. The Genesis Facade Commission Lu
Wei will be on view from September 17th, 2026 through
June 8th, 2027. The exhibition is presented by
Genesis. Lu Wei S sculptures for the
Genesis Facade Commission are sure to reflect the curiosity,
(01:05):
innovation and even humor he is known for, said Max Holland, the
Met S Marina Kellen French director and chief executive
officer. This Commission also reflects
the spirit of the Met S Tang Wing for modern and contemporary
art, opening in 20-30, where global perspectives and boundary
pushing artistic practices like Lu Wei S will be at the heart of
(01:28):
how we present art of our time. We are honored to work with Lu
Wei to expand the possibilities of the iconic 5th Ave.
Facade with his first major project at an American
institution. For this Commission, Lu Wei will
use his dynamic language of reconfiguration and assemblage
to address conflicts and contradictions in society, said
(01:51):
Leslie Ma Ming, Chu Hsu and Daniel SU curator in the
Department of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Met and
curator of the project. For me, his work always
compellingly pierces through perceptions of reality with a
blend of rawness and refinement.I look forward to seeing how he
challenges our expectations for the classical niches and for
(02:13):
public sculptures. The Genesis Facade Commission
allows us to continually rethinkhow the Met introduces itself to
each visitor and to the world. Lu Wei S clever remixes of ready
made motifs transform the everyday into the miraculous,
and his sculptures beguiling interplay between contemplation,
(02:33):
surprise and revelation is also the very business of the Met,
said David Breslin, Leonard A Lauder curator in charge of the
Department of Modern and Contemporary Art.
As we look ahead to the opening of the new Tang Wing in 20-30,
the Genesis Facade Commission stand as the Met S most visible
and dynamic platform for contemporary art, bringing our
(02:57):
present and future ambitions to the fore.
To dialogue with the tremendous legacy of human civilization
through the Met S Genesis FacadeCommission makes me so excited
and anxious, said Lu Wei. What a challenge and a blessing.
Lu Wei S project for the Met S 5th Ave.
Facade will be the 7th in a series of commissions for the
(03:19):
historic exterior, and it is thethird under the multi year
partnership with Genesis to support the annual Contemporary
Art Commission. His new works for the niches
will play with perspective and scale and address cycles of
rupture, resistance, mending, and creating in history.
Instead of a totalizing narrative, Lou will present
(03:41):
composite sculptures made with avariety of materials that
provoke complex feelings and reactions amid uncertainties in
contemporary life. This project is the latest in
the Met S series of contemporarycommissions in which the museum
invites artists to create new works of art, establishing A
dialogue between the artist S practice.
(04:03):
The Met Collection. The Physical Museum and the Met
S audiences These commissions, featuring artists Juan Jekimutu,
Hugh Locke, Carol Bov, Neri Bakramian, Lee Bull and most
recently Jeffrey Gibson are a cornerstone of the Met S
expanding modern and contemporary art department,
(04:24):
which continues to grow in scopethrough new acquisitions,
exhibitions and the development of the Tang Wing opening in
20-30, which will offer a transformative new space for
engaging with art from from 1890to today.
About the artist since the late 1990s Lou Wei BFA 1996 Oil
(04:46):
Painting China Academy of Art Hangzhou has addressed realities
of our time through a wide rangeof media, from photography and
painting to video, sculpture andinstallation.
A key figure of a pioneering generation of artists from China
who sought to define conceptual art on their own terms against
the backdrop of rapid societal transformation, Liu has
(05:11):
developed an over that challenges art historical tropes
of abstraction, figuration, and the ready made known for his
virtuosic command of sites and scale.
He reconfigures fragments from the urban environment,
historical sources, and bodily forms to create sculptural
installations that evoke an agitation with a sense of
(05:33):
urgency. His work captures and critiques
the reoccurring conflicts and contradictions in society with
which we must contend. The Genesis Facade Commission at
the Met will be Louis first major presentation in the United
States, following solo exhibitions in important museums
in Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul and Cleveland.
(05:54):
In the past decade, he has been featured in prestigious and
historic group exhibitions, including the inaugural China
Pavilion at the 51st Venice BNL 2005, Shanghai Biennial, 2000
and Four, 2010, Lyon BNL, 2000 and Seven, 2015, Sharjah
(06:16):
Biennial, 2013. Art in China after 1989, Theatre
of the World, Guggenheim Museum,New York and San Francisco
Museum of Modern Art, 2018, The Allure of matter material, Art
from China, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2019 and the 58th
(06:39):
Venice BNL 2019, among others. Blue lives and works in Beijing,
China About Modern and contemporary art at the Met The
Met S engagement with art from 1890 to the present spans
movements in modernism to contemporary practices from
around the world and is represented across numerous
(07:00):
curatorial departments. To house this renowned
collection of 20 TH and 21st century art, the museum is
undergoing a full remagening of the current modern and
contemporary art galleries to berenamed the Oscar L Tang and HM
Agnes Hsu Tang Wing. Designed by architect Frida
(07:21):
Escobedo, the first woman to design A wing in the museum S
155 year history. The 126,000 square foot five
story wing will provide more than 70,000 square feet for the
display of art and include approximately 18,500 square feet
of outdoor space spread across the 4th and 5th floor terraces.
(07:45):
Set to open in 20-30, the wing will seamlessly connect with the
rest of the museum while also addressing accessibility,
infrastructure and sustainability needs.
More information is available onthe Met S website, credits the
Genesis Facade Commission. Lu Wei is conceived by the
(08:06):
artist in consultation with Leslie Ma, Ming, Chu Hsu and
Daniel SU, Curator in the Department of Modern and
Contemporary Art at the Met. The exhibition will be featured
on the Met S website as well as on social media via the hashtags
Genesis Facade Commission and Met Lu Wei.
Four site specific sculptures bythe Beijing based artist will be
revealed in fall 2026. This is the Met S 7th annual
Facade Commission and the third under the museum S multi year
partnership with Genesis. At a press conference in Paris,
the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced that it will unveil a
(00:20):
new suite of sculptures by Lou Wei, born 1972 Beijing, China,
next year in the niches of its 5th Ave.
Facade, marking the artist S first major project in the
United States. Liu, known for his monumental
and evocative sculptural installations, will bring his
observations of the present to the urban and historical
(00:43):
contexts of the Met. The Genesis Facade Commission Lu
Wei will be on view from September 17th, 2026 through
June 8th, 2027. The exhibition is presented by
Genesis. Lu Wei S sculptures for the
Genesis Facade Commission are sure to reflect the curiosity,
(01:05):
innovation and even humor he is known for, said Max Holland, the
Met S Marina Kellen French director and chief executive
officer. This Commission also reflects
the spirit of the Met S Tang Wing for modern and contemporary
art, opening in 20-30, where global perspectives and boundary
pushing artistic practices like Lu Wei S will be at the heart of
(01:28):
how we present art of our time. We are honored to work with Lu
Wei to expand the possibilities of the iconic 5th Ave.
Facade with his first major project at an American
institution. For this Commission, Lu Wei will
use his dynamic language of reconfiguration and assemblage
to address conflicts and contradictions in society, said
(01:51):
Leslie Ma Ming, Chu Hsu and Daniel SU curator in the
Department of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Met and
curator of the project. For me, his work always
compellingly pierces through perceptions of reality with a
blend of rawness and refinement.I look forward to seeing how he
challenges our expectations for the classical niches and for
(02:13):
public sculptures. The Genesis Facade Commission
allows us to continually rethinkhow the Met introduces itself to
each visitor and to the world. Lu Wei S clever remixes of ready
made motifs transform the everyday into the miraculous,
and his sculptures beguiling interplay between contemplation,
(02:33):
surprise and revelation is also the very business of the Met,
said David Breslin, Leonard A Lauder curator in charge of the
Department of Modern and Contemporary Art.
As we look ahead to the opening of the new Tang Wing in 20-30,
the Genesis Facade Commission stand as the Met S most visible
and dynamic platform for contemporary art, bringing our
(02:57):
present and future ambitions to the fore.
To dialogue with the tremendous legacy of human civilization
through the Met S Genesis FacadeCommission makes me so excited
and anxious, said Lu Wei. What a challenge and a blessing.
Lu Wei S project for the Met S 5th Ave.
Facade will be the 7th in a series of commissions for the
(03:19):
historic exterior, and it is thethird under the multi year
partnership with Genesis to support the annual Contemporary
Art Commission. His new works for the niches
will play with perspective and scale and address cycles of
rupture, resistance, mending, and creating in history.
Instead of a totalizing narrative, Lou will present
(03:41):
composite sculptures made with avariety of materials that
provoke complex feelings and reactions amid uncertainties in
contemporary life. This project is the latest in
the Met S series of contemporarycommissions in which the museum
invites artists to create new works of art, establishing A
dialogue between the artist S practice.
(04:03):
The Met Collection. The Physical Museum and the Met
S audiences These commissions, featuring artists Juan Jekimutu,
Hugh Locke, Carol Bov, Neri Bakramian, Lee Bull and most
recently Jeffrey Gibson are a cornerstone of the Met S
expanding modern and contemporary art department,
(04:24):
which continues to grow in scopethrough new acquisitions,
exhibitions and the development of the Tang Wing opening in
20-30, which will offer a transformative new space for
engaging with art from from 1890to today.
About the artist since the late 1990s Lou Wei BFA 1996 Oil
(04:46):
Painting China Academy of Art Hangzhou has addressed realities
of our time through a wide rangeof media, from photography and
painting to video, sculpture andinstallation.
A key figure of a pioneering generation of artists from China
who sought to define conceptual art on their own terms against
the backdrop of rapid societal transformation, Liu has
(05:11):
developed an over that challenges art historical tropes
of abstraction, figuration, and the ready made known for his
virtuosic command of sites and scale.
He reconfigures fragments from the urban environment,
historical sources, and bodily forms to create sculptural
installations that evoke an agitation with a sense of
(05:33):
urgency. His work captures and critiques
the reoccurring conflicts and contradictions in society with
which we must contend. The Genesis Facade Commission at
the Met will be Louis first major presentation in the United
States, following solo exhibitions in important museums
in Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul and Cleveland.
(05:54):
In the past decade, he has been featured in prestigious and
historic group exhibitions, including the inaugural China
Pavilion at the 51st Venice BNL 2005, Shanghai Biennial, 2000
and Four, 2010, Lyon BNL, 2000 and Seven, 2015, Sharjah
(06:16):
Biennial, 2013. Art in China after 1989, Theatre
of the World, Guggenheim Museum,New York and San Francisco
Museum of Modern Art, 2018, The Allure of matter material, Art
from China, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2019 and the 58th
(06:39):
Venice BNL 2019, among others. Blue lives and works in Beijing,
China About Modern and contemporary art at the Met The
Met S engagement with art from 1890 to the present spans
movements in modernism to contemporary practices from
around the world and is represented across numerous
(07:00):
curatorial departments. To house this renowned
collection of 20 TH and 21st century art, the museum is
undergoing a full remagening of the current modern and
contemporary art galleries to berenamed the Oscar L Tang and HM
Agnes Hsu Tang Wing. Designed by architect Frida
(07:21):
Escobedo, the first woman to design A wing in the museum S
155 year history. The 126,000 square foot five
story wing will provide more than 70,000 square feet for the
display of art and include approximately 18,500 square feet
of outdoor space spread across the 4th and 5th floor terraces.
(07:45):
Set to open in 20-30, the wing will seamlessly connect with the
rest of the museum while also addressing accessibility,
infrastructure and sustainability needs.
More information is available onthe Met S website, credits the
Genesis Facade Commission. Lu Wei is conceived by the
(08:06):
artist in consultation with Leslie Ma, Ming, Chu Hsu and
Daniel SU, Curator in the Department of Modern and
Contemporary Art at the Met. The exhibition will be featured
on the Met S website as well as on social media via the hashtags
Genesis Facade Commission and Met Lu Wei.
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