Halos opens at the Museum of Modern Art Shanghai, placing the universal religious symbol in a more modern art context.
Over at the Museum of Modern Art (MAM) Shanghai, Shay Frisch’s first ever art exhibition in China opened recently.
With a background in industrial design, Frisch’s art installations often include the use of electricity and geometric shapes. Frisch, who currently lives and works in Rome, explores traditional notions of the halo and places the universal symbol in a more modern context in his newest exhibition Halos.
The halo is a symbol that has long been found in the art world. In early Roman and Byzantine art, artists were often commissioned by religious institutions and thus religious art with figures donning halos were the norm. In Christianity, halos became associated with Christ, angels and saints. Although halos are often associated with Christianity, the symbol is found in various religions and cultures throughout the world. In Buddhist art, the Buddha is sometimes depicted wearing a halo and in Hindu art, the halo is often found on the head of deities.
Frisch takes the halo, knowing its significance, and reimagines it in a modern context by playing with the halo as a metaphor for infinite possibility. He uses circuits, electricity and industrial materials to bring the metaphor to life. Geometric shapes such as circles and squares featuring light arrangements, often red or white in color, are found throughout the exhibition. The art installations are simple, emitting light and energy.
In Frisch’s work, the halos are not as evident as they are in traditional and religious art, but the circular motifs and geometric shapes represent the halo in a new context. Frisch plays with realms and dimensions, bridging the gap between the secular and spiritual worlds.
“A halo can be visible or invisible, yet it is always a manifestation of the inner nature of things,” says Frisch. The energy conductors in the exhibition are visible while the actual halo, or energy generated by the conductors, is invisible. “The artwork is actually invisible, while the visible is primarily the means to generate it,” explains Frisch.
“Frisch has a way of transforming an exhibition space into immersive environments that respect the surrounding architecture and become moments of unity and harmony. Halo is an energetic experience that transcends the boundaries of perception, and we are thrilled to bring this experience to China for the first time,” says Shai Baitel, the MAM’s Artistic Director and curator of the exhibition.
Halos will be on display at the MAM from now until June 2nd.
