Michael Lin
Artist Statement

Michael LIN is internationally known for his painted walls and floors with amplified traditional floral motifs inspired by traditional textiles from various cultures. His practice is characterized by embellishment and visual exuberance, and his site-specific works seek to create transformations within the space in which he works. Viewer interaction is an important component in his works, which “efficiently demonstrate a major precept of contemporary art in our time: art is not simply something to be looked at, it is to be experienced in real time, often through tangible means,” as described by Pauline Yao, curator of Hong Kong’s M+ Museum. To Lin, “Exhibition” is the “medium” of his work. While rationally exploring the exhibition as a cultural event, his works also reveal a rich poetic quality. His large-scale installations explore painting, design, ornamentation, and culture through an interaction with architecture. The appropriation of everyday objects and patterns all derive from his personal environment and allow him to go beyond the beautiful and the sublime. His installations are environments or aesthetic slices of life that invite the viewer to share the space of art and architecture in socially contemplative ways.