“The reason we work in the theater is to ask, ‘What is it?’ not to say what it is,” says Wilson, whose visionary approach has expanded the possibilities of theater, visual art, and design for more than 50 years. An international theater and opera director, designer, and artist, Wilson entered the New York theater scene in the mid-1960s. Influenced by choreographers such as Merce Cunningham and Martha Graham, Wilson created a new kind of hybrid stage work, integrating dance, movement, lighting, sculpture and text. His 1970 collaboration with composer Philip Glass led to the landmark five-hour opera Einstein on the Beach. He later collaborated with musicians Tom Waits and Lou Reed, and won a Golden Lion at the 1993 Venice Biennale for a sculptural installation. Wilson recently worked on a series of slow-moving video portraits with Brad Pitt, Salma Hayek, and other actors, helped Lady Gaga stage her music, and designed a theatrical showroom for luxury jewelry-maker Van Cleef & Arpels.
Power and Beauty in China’s Last Dynasty runs February 3 -- March 27, 2018, at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2400 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404. This exhibit has limited capacity and timed tickets. Visit https://new.artsmia.org/power-and-beauty/ for tickets or more information.
