Cobo Social: Interview with Lee Mingwei “禮 Li, Gifts, and Rituals” at Gropius Bau, Berlin
On a Wednesday afternoon, I open my laptop from home to join a new Zoom meeting. When I log in, I learn that the only other participant is Celina Jimenez-Haro, a singer who, like me, is self-isolating in Berlin. After a short introduction, Celina serenades me with the old French song “La Belle si tu voulais”. Although the call only takes a few minutes, the melody stays with me for the rest of the day.
The digital performance is part of artist Lee Mingwei’s exhibition “禮 Li, Gifts, and Rituals” at Gropius Bau, Berlin. Originally slated to open in late March, the exhibition was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspired by these times of isolation and by his broad practice based on performance and physical interaction, Lee conceived additional projects to include in his Berlin show—among others, Invitation for Dawn (2020), a spin-off of Sonic Blossom (2013–present), which forms part of the exhibition, and Letter to Oneself (2020), a twist on his work The Letter Writing Project (1998–present), in which personal letters written by the audience are displayed within the installation.
On the original day of the exhibition opening, we met—as you do these days—online for a conversation regarding his preparations for the show, his current projects, and his wild mix of interests spanning Buddhism, classical Chinese literature, and American folk painting.