Inspired by personal experiences and world events, Lee Mingwei (American, b. Taiwan, 1964) creates interactive installations and performances that explore how art can serve as a conduit for social connection and emotional healing. Grounded in intimate communication, meditation, and exchange, his artistic practice transforms ordinary gestures like writing, mending, and breathing into rituals of engagement, encouraging participants and viewers to find beauty and solace in small acts. Lee Mingwei: Rituals of Care features photographs of his key projects, insightful essays, an interview with the artist, and a chronology of his life and work, in celebration of his radical acts of generosity. Centering on building relationships at a time when communities worldwide continue to grapple with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lee Mingwei reminds visitors of the myriad possibilities for surprise and joy in everyday existence.

Contributors

Claudia Schmuckli is curator in charge of contemporary art and programming at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Janna Keegan is associate curator of contemporary art and programming at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett is the Ronald S. Lauder Chief Curator, Core Exhibition, at the Muzeum Historii Zydów Polskich, Warsaw, and University Professor Emerita at New York University.

Leslie Ureña is associate curator of global contemporary art at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.