Shay Frisch’s creative practice unfolds as a complex landscape of meticulous scientific processes, where technology, light projection, and the incitement of existential introspection address the question, “why not?” The tangible materials in his works are merely the vehicle for an experience of grandeur referencing the ephemeral nature of light and spiritual symbolism throughout history. Based in Rome, the artist is surrounded by a wealth of Ancient architecture and rich religious symbolism.

Halo, Frisch’s inaugural exhibition in China, lands at the Modern Art Museum in Shanghai with 20 works. Each piece is composed of electrical components and industrial materials, utilizing intricate geometric modules to create a monochromatic matte space, emphasizing illuminated white halos and pinned coral configurations. There is no negative space, as each work permeates a boundless void. Such an experience transitions the passive visitor of his installations from witness to participant.

MAM Shanghai Artistic Director, Shai Baitel shares the same curiosity about energy, in all of its forms, with Frisch. The showing of Halo comes on the heels of Marina Abramovic: Transforming Energy. The artist’s first solo exhibition in China featured 1200 never before seen images of her performance, The Great Wall Walk (1988/2008), as well as mixed media installations punctuated by crystals and panels reflecting primary colors. Baitel’s curatorial intention reflects the symbiotic resonance of energetic vibrations in Southeast Asian cultures.

Document Journal’s Katie Rex joins Frisch and Baitel to explore.

Katie Rex: Shai, what sparked the idea for this exhibition?

Shai Baitel: I’ve known Shay for 15 years now, and it’s been an incredible journey of acquaintance throughout. I was able to see not only his art making, but its evolution. We engage in conversations that are not only related to the way he conceives [his art], but also for the various meanings it stands for. Italy has an incredible wealth of culture and art to offer, and so he naturally blends himself in such a climate. Shay’s studio is located just above Fontana di Trevi, one of the most beloved sites in Rome. It’s only by the presence over something that is bestowing such a grandeur of beauty and glory, that I’m thinking to myself how incredible it is to work next to something so rich in those classical elements that we discover in Shay’s world. I see a lot in Shay’s work that is inspired by things that we have seen otherwise in church or in other religious artworks. It’s a collection of works through the years, with some new works, but many that have been seen before in other incredible locations.

Katie: And, Shay, what was the inspiration for this body of work?

Shay Frisch: My art is about energy. I use everyday-life electrical adapters, plug one to the other to create structures that explore electricity to generate an electromagnetic field and surrounding space. So, it’s a work about energy, and one of the expressions of energy is light. I don’t consider my works as light works. I use light because light is aimed to express the electrical charge that is embedded in the modules that of which the work is composed, to indicate that electricity is running throughout the work, bearing witness of the ongoing phenomenon, which is the creation of energy, the generation of electromagnetic fields. It is very much a work about the principle of connections, both in literal and figurative sense.

I use primary geometrical shapes, mathematical proportions, essential and archetypal signs, often of archaic origins and so of ancient wisdom. I believe that these forms hold an emotional power that can help to enhance the energetic experience.

Shai: What was significant in Shay’s work is the idea that the light is consequential. The elements Shay described are installations of everyday particles of electricity. If you see the way that he composes it, it looks simple. But in actuality, it’s quite intricate; it’s massive. The light as the subsidiary is the reason why this is put together. It’s not a traditional light that you switch on and receive something that will be revealed. This light is what we call a halo, an aura. It’s a soft light that varies in colors. It intrigued me when I first saw it, because it reminded me of a halo that we would see around characters in a religious context. What I’ve discovered about Shay’s work is the dialogue between the seen and the unseen, which is incredibly relevant for our conversation. His work is abstract, there’s no figuration aside from the geometric shapes. But, thematically, it’s identical to what we’ve seen hundreds of years before, when the church introduced to us the art commissioned by those magnificent artists of the Renaissance.

Shay: What is a halo? It’s an effect of light and light is an expression of energy. For example, a solar eclipse when the moon hides the Sun, we can witness a halo effect. It’s such an important phenomenon for science. Like in astrophysics, the gravitational lensing or the study of the corona of the Sun, to understand its constituents and the processes it goes through while burning its fuel. Now, human beings can see only a very specific spectrum of light. There’s infrared light that we cannot see. So it’s the same thing about the energy that the person is carrying and is emitting. Most people can’t see it. Some say that they can, but most people can’t see the aura. It’s their inner energy that you can feel through their behavior, their way of being.

Katie: How do you communicate the cross section between technology and energy in scientific terms relative to the spiritual element of your work?

Shay: Some shapes that have their emotional power and emit energy that can bring people to a contemplative experience. That can be used as a mirror to our inner nature.

Shai: I was busying myself thinking that during the time of the church, there was a strong element of brainwashing. They have ways to enter and captivate the believer and employ shapes as part of it. The cross is a very simple shape that stands for something, shapes are part of the way we are educated as youngsters. What’s incredible about the work is that if you look at it from afar, you’ll identify shapes you’ve seen throughout life. The halo, that is subsidiary to the actual work, implies that it’s three dimensional in such a way. Shay is a very practical artist. It’s very attractive for the audience. This is the scientific element, we’re naturally attracted to light. We speak about light in many terms, like “the light at the end of the tunnel.” There’s a hypothalamus in our brain, and we need light for that to orchestrate all the hormones that wake us up, put us to sleep, and make us happy or sad. Light has such an incredible role in our functioning that we are naturally attracted to it, that’s the secret of Shay’s work.

Katie: With all of that in mind and the context of the church, how do you feel the reception will be in Southeast Asia? How do you think the guest experience of the work will be different in Shanghai versus other parts of the world?

Shai: Shay created this work in a certain place, during a certain time, in a certain context, political, societal, economic… everything. But Shay brings a personal story that is actually universal. The religious institute, let’s call it the spiritual institute, because we don’t really have a religious institute in China. There’s a lot of spirituality, and spirituality naturally involves an element of Halo, element of aura. The common thread is really to see how this goodness, because light stands for goodness, those important cores of optimism and hopefulness are really represented by the light that Shay is bringing to the audience. I think that the audience in Southeast Asia will find such great wealth of storytelling, tradition, science and hope in Shay’s work that they will immediately relate to it.

Shay: These forms are also from Chinese tradition, also from somatic tradition. They’re universal. In certain periods of history, the church appropriated that in some forms because they have emotional power and enhance the spiritual experience. But actually, these shapes are familiar to Chinese culture. I recently saw an ancient Chinese disc, made 3000 years before Christ, which exactly resembles the works that I do; a round shape with a hole in it. From my experience, Chinese culture cultivates and values introspection and self awareness.

Katie: With the immersive nature of the work, what are some of the more interesting interpretations you’ve heard from audiences seeing the work?

Shay: I had many exhibitions in different countries and various cultures, and the reaction of the public always surprises me. I would love to believe that it is the energy that is emitted from the works that creates these reactions. I love to spy on the audience when they experience my art. I have videos of people dancing, practicing yoga, laying down on the floor, or just being in quiet contemplation in front of artworks. I can’t predict the reaction, of course, of the Chinese audience, because they are characterized by restraint and composure. I mean, quiet contemplation is acting. You don’t have to do things. It depends on the culture or the nature of the individual.

Katie: How much do you consider the experience of the work for others versus your intention in making it?

Shay: I believe that my art has no message, it’s simply an invitation to a contemplative experience. The scientific aspects or the spiritual aspects, they’re something we can speak about, but I don’t think it is important for the audience to understand or to know these aspects. I believe in a very spontaneous experience and always hoping that the audience can take with them an experience. An energetic experience is about feeling and thought. It’s about what you experienced at that moment in that time when you visited the exhibition. I’m not pretentious that the audience will do something or understand something. I hope that they can have a short journey, if possible, an inner journey.