Chaque souffle une danse (Each Breath a Dance, 2024) reflects on the physical and social threats that the simple act of breathing has come to embody since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and George Floyd’s murder. For this artwork, Lee Mingwei concluded his daily meditation practice by placing a few droplets of sumi ink on an alabaster slate as the sun set, spreading the ink over the surface with several contemplative breaths.
The resulting “breath drawings” serve as the physical context of a meditative 45-minute dance performance. Positioned in a large circle on 60 metal and wood candle stands, the artworks delineate the literal performance space, and provide a metaphysical space for reflection. The performance begins when a single dancer enters the exhibition space, moving slowly among the candle stands. Upon encountering each drawing, the dancer lights a candle. Once all the panels are lit, each candle one by one is then extinguished. Throughout the performance the exhibition space cycles between states of illumination and darkness, offering, Mingwei notes, “viewers a journey through rhythms that punctuate both art and life, a possible contemplation of the symbiosis between opposites, and how one gives meaning to the other.”
Chaque Souffle Une Danse is co-presented by the Minnesota Street Project Foundation and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, in conjunction with the de Young musuem's exhibition Lee Mingwei: Rituals of Care.
Important information:
Seating for Chaque Souffle Une Danse is very limited, and most of the audience will be standing for the 45-minute performance. No flash photography will be permitted. Doors open 30 minutes prior to start time. Attendees must arrive at least five minutes prior to showtime; no late entry will be permitted. Recommended for ages 12 and up. No pets other than leashed service animals.
