Michael Pinsky

Michael Pinsky studied in England at Manchester Polytechnic, the University of Brighton and at the Royal College of Art in London. He was awarded a Doctorate from the University of East London in 2000.

Pinsky's work has been shown at: Somerset House, London,{{Cite news|url=https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/whats-on/michael-pinsky-pollution-pods|title=Michael Pinsky: Pollution Pods|date=2018-03-23|work=Somerset House|access-date=2018-05-06|language=en}} Museum of Contemporary Art, Chengdu;{{Cite web|title = Foreword_Chengdu MOCA|url = http://www.chengdumoca.org/en/exhibition/column/3361/01/1332|website = www.chengdumoca.org|access-date = 2016-02-23|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304081731/http://www.chengdumoca.org/en/exhibition/column/3361/01/1332|archive-date = 2016-03-04|url-status = dead}} TATE Britain;{{cite web|url=http://results.ref.ac.uk/Submissions/Output/3253535?searchId=3659680&searchPageNumber=1|title=Results & submissions : REF 2014 : Output details|work=ref.ac.uk}} Saatchi Gallery;{{cite AV media|url=https://vimeo.com/channels/96791|title=Saatchi Gallery|work=vimeo.com}} Victoria and Albert Museum;{{cite web|url=http://www.demotix.com/photo/6151830/chinese-pattern-puzzles-created-michael-pinsky-victoria-albert|title=Chinese pattern puzzles created by Michael Pinsky at Victoria & Albert|work=Demotix|access-date=2015-05-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703130538/http://www.demotix.com/photo/6151830/chinese-pattern-puzzles-created-michael-pinsky-victoria-albert|archive-date=2015-07-03|url-status=dead}} Parc de la Villette, Paris;{{Cite web|title = Michael Pinsky - L'eau qui dort - La Villette|url = http://lavillette.com/evenement/michael-pinsky-exposition-cop21/|website = La Villette|access-date = 2016-02-23|language = fr-FR|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303125600/http://lavillette.com/evenement/michael-pinsky-exposition-cop21/|archive-date = 2016-03-03|url-status = dead}}Institute of Contemporary Art;{{cite web|url=http://www.artfacts.net/en/artist/michael-pinsky-21319/profile.html%7ctitle=ArtFacts.net%7cwork=ArtFacts.net|title=ArtFacts.net}} BALTIC, Gateshead;{{cite web|url=http://balticplus.uk/panacea-casebook-live-performance-michael-pinsky,-zoe-walker-neil-bromwich-c14775/|title=Baltic Plus - Panacea Casebook: Live Performance: Michael Pinsky, Zoe Walker & Neil Bromwich|work=balticplus.uk}} Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow;{{Cite web|url = http://cca-glasgow.com/page=236B7D10-868E-4F86-A306909B378E5655&eventid=17616045-B456-1290-932B13E1328151E1pan|title = Panacea - Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow}}{{dead link|date=March 2017|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Modern Art Oxford, Milton Keynes Gallery, Cornerhouse, Manchester;{{cite web|url=http://homemcr.org/exhibition/panaceahothouse/|title=PANACEAHOTHOUSE|work=HOME|date=6 October 2006 }} Liverpool Biennial,{{cite web|url=http://www.biennial.com/2014/exhibition/artists/michael-pinsky|title=Liverpool Biennial – The UK Biennial of Contemporary Art - 2016 - Artists|work=biennial.com}} Centre de création contemporaine Olivier Debré; Armory Center of the Arts, Los Angeles and the Rotterdam International Architectural Biennial.

Pinsky's projects in the public realm have often courted controversy in the press. Notable projects include:

• Pollution Pods. The artist created a series of interlinked geodesic domes which contained polluted air from cities around the world.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/22/world/europe/uk-pollution-pods.html|title=How's the Air in London? 'We Should Be Worried'|last=Yeginsu|first=Ceylan|date=2018-04-22|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-05-06|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} There was some confusion and concern about whether the environments within the domes could have a detrimental impact on visitors' health.{{Cite web|url=https://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/news/international-snapshot-building-that-cleans-the-ai|title=INTERNATIONAL SNAPSHOT: Building that cleans the air; Detecting plant feelings; Controversial "pollution pods" {{!}} Architecture And Design|website=Architecture And Design|language=en|access-date=2018-05-06}} During an interview for BBC1, the presenter David Sillito was "speechless" when the artist explained that he could not use genuine London air within the London pod.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/entertainment-arts-43820243/art-installation-creates-smelling-pods-of-major-cities-air|title=Could you smell which city you are in?|work=BBC News|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-05-06}} The Pollution Pods have been exhibited at the Starmus Festival, Trondheim,{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/norway/articles/pollution-pods-norway-art-installation/|title=Art installation captures the unique scents of the world's most polluted cities|last=Christopher Beanland|first=Travel writer|website=The Telegraph|date=22 June 2017|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-03-31}} Somerset House, London,{{Cite web|url=https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/whats-on/michael-pinsky-pollution-pods|title=Michael Pinsky: Pollution Pods|date=2018-03-23|website=Somerset House|language=en|access-date=2020-03-31}} World Health Organisation's first international conference on Air Pollution, Place des Nations, Geneva,{{Cite web|url=https://www.who.int/airpollution/events/conference/SideEvents/en/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019133114/http://www.who.int/airpollution/events/conference/SideEvents/en/|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 19, 2018|title=WHO {{!}} Pollution Pods exhibit, Place des Nations|website=WHO|access-date=2020-03-31}} Klimahaus Bremerhaven, Germany,{{Cite web|url=https://www.klimahaus-bremerhaven.de/entdecken/ausstellungen/pollution-pods.html|title=Klimahaus Bremerhaven: Pollution Pods|website= klimahaus-bremerhaven.de|access-date=2020-03-31}} TED Annual Conference, Vancouver, Canada,{{Cite web|url=https://blog.ted.com/pollution-pods-a-tasting-menu-of-our-planets-air-quality-at-ted2019/|title=Pollution Pods: A tasting menu of our planet's air quality, at TED2019|date=2019-04-17|website=TED Blog|language=en|access-date=2020-03-31}} Science Gallery Melbourne, Australia,{{Cite web|url=https://whitenight.com.au/melbourne/program/pollution-pods/|title=Pollution Pods|website=White Night 2019|language=en-AU|access-date=2020-03-31}} UN Climate Action Summit, UN Buildings, New York City,{{Cite web|url=https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/24-09-2019-pollution-pods-connect-the-dots-between-air-pollution-climate-change-and-health-at-un-climate-action-summit|title=Pollution pods connect the dots between air pollution, climate change and health at UN Climate Action Summit|website= who.int|language=en|access-date=2020-03-31}} COP 25, Madrid.{{Cite web|url=https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/03-12-2019-pollution-pods-at-cop25-show-climate-change-and-air-pollution-are-two-sides-of-the-same-coin|title=Pollution Pods at COP25 show climate change and air pollution are two sides of the same coin|website= who.int|language=en|access-date=2020-03-31}} COP 26, Glasgow{{Cite web |last=Reid |first=Carlton |title=Minds Might Be Better Focused At COP26 If Negotiators Had To Walk Through These Pollution Pods |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2021/11/03/minds-might-be-better-focussed-at-cop26-if-negotiators-had-to-walk-through-these-pollution-pods/ |access-date=2022-04-27 |website=Forbes |language=en}} KunstMuseum, Bonn,{{Cite web |title=Up in the Air |url=https://www.kunstmuseum-bonn.de/en/ausstellungen/welt-in-der-schwebe/ |access-date=2022-04-27 |website=Kunstmuseum Bonn |language=en-US}} The Draiflession Collection{{Cite web |title=Draiflessen Collection - THE FINAL BID. Michael Pinsky |url=https://www.draiflessen.com/articles/1073?locale=en |access-date=2023-12-21 |website= draiflessen.com}} St John's College, Oxford{{Cite web |title=Pollution Pods |url=https://www.sjc.ox.ac.uk/discover/events/pollution-pods/ |access-date=2023-12-21 |website=St John's College |language=en}} and COP 28.{{Citation |title=Cop28 Pollution Pods simulate air quality in London, Delhi and Beijing |date=2023-12-07 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/climate/cop28-dubai-pollution-london-delhi-b2460490.html |access-date=2023-12-21 |language=en}} Greta Thunberg when visiting the Pollution Pods remarked "It's an incredible exhibition. It'll really bring attention to these problems, and if people can experience this, people from all around the world, how these people live every day, it will bring lots of attention and people will be more encouraged to deal with these problems".{{Cite web|url=https://nowthisnews.com/videos/news/greta-thunberg-experiences-pollution-pods-at-un-youth-climate-summit|title=Greta Thunberg Experiences 'Pollution Pods' at UN Youth Climate Summit|website=NowThis News|access-date=2020-03-31}} Dr Tedros Adhanom tweeted that the Pollution Pods successfully raised awareness about impacts of air pollution on health.{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/DrTedros/status/1202303368720474119|title=Glad to see WHO's Pollution Pods |last=Ghebreyesus|first=Tedros Adhanom|date=2019-12-04|website=@DrTedros|language=en|access-date=2020-03-31}} Teresa Ribera, Minister for the Ecological Transition of Spain, said: "Air pollution and climate change are the two sides of the same coin. The symbolic installation of the Pollution Pods at COP25 should remind everybody that we are negotiating for cleaner environments, cutting emissions and gaining better health for all." Artnet rated the Pollution Pods as one of the 100 Works of Art That Defined the Decade.{{Cite web|url=https://news.artnet.com/opinion/100-works-that-defined-the-decade-part-2-1738773|title=The 100 Works of Art That Defined the Decade, Ranked: Part 2|date=2019-12-30|website=artnet News|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-31}} Stir Magazine listed Pollution Pods as one of the ten most unforgettable artworks of 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://www.stirworld.com/see-features-art-that-stirred-2019|title=Art that STIRred 2019|website=stirworld.com|language=en|access-date=2020-03-31}} The BBC featured the installation for Earth Day "as one of the best ways to change the world".{{Cite web |last=Vince |first=Gaia |title=Earth Day at 50: The best ways to change the world |url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200422-climate-change-art-the-best-ways-to-change-the-world |access-date=2022-04-27 |website=bbc.com |language=en}}
• City Speaks. The artist constructed a lectern which captured peoples voices and relayed what they said as enormous dot-matrix text ascending Hull's tidal barrier. Many media outlets claimed that the installation was being used for profanities, including a number of sexual references such as "send nudes" and "ejaculation".{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/15/rude-words-appear-giant-art-project-hull-computer-doesnt-recognise/|title=Rude words appear on giant art project in Hull because computer doesn't recognise Yorkshire accents|last=Reporters|first=Telegraph|date=2017-08-15|work=The Telegraph|access-date=2018-01-20|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/city-cultures-tidal-art-project-10987603|title=City of Culture's tidal art project flooded with 'blue' messages|last=Thornton|first=Lucy|date=2017-08-14|work=mirror|access-date=2018-01-20}}{{Cite news|url=https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/uk-art-project-city-speaks-1052735|title='Send Nudes': A UK Art Project Is Accidentally Projecting Naughty Phrases Across a Town Square|date=2017-08-16|work=artnet News|access-date=2018-01-20|language=en-US}} However, it was well received by many, the comedian Mark Steel, said that 'City Speaks' was "one of my favourite works of art ever".{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09k6pn3|title=Hull, Series 8, Mark Steel's in Town - BBC Radio 4|website=BBC|access-date=2018-01-20}}
• Plunge. The artist marked the predicted sea level in the year 3012 on major monuments throughout London.{{Cite news|title = Blue rings on London landmarks suggest 3012 sea levels| work=BBC News | date=11 February 2012 |url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-16999036|access-date = 2016-02-23}}{{Cite web|title = The eco artists turning trash into treasure - CNN.com|url = http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/16/world/environmental-green-art/index.html|website = CNN| date=16 March 2012 |access-date = 2016-02-23}} Giles Fraser, Canon Chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral stated that "this clever installation imagines a world where St Paul's Cathedral, the Donmar Warehouse and the Athenaeum are all under water, powerfully makes the climate change point".{{Cite news|title = In praise of ... Plunge|url = https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/mar/01/in-praise-of-plunge?newsfeed=true|newspaper = The Guardian|date = 2012-02-29|access-date = 2016-02-23|issn = 0261-3077|language = en-GB|last = Editorial}} Charles Saatchi was a little less enthusiastic in the Evening Standard: "Pinsky's artwork may appear a little bleak and pessimistic to some viewers but particularly so to committed Global Warming deniers such as me".{{Cite news|url=http://www.gulf-times.com/story/382911/The-mysteries-of-the-deep-grow-deeper|title=The mysteries of the deep grow deeper|date=2014-02-28|work=Gulf-Times|access-date=2018-05-06|language=ar}} Maria Balshaw, Director of Tate discusses Plunge in her book Gathering of Strangers:

  For decades, artists have been at the forefront of demands for action. Some offer compelling visions for what our world could resemble if action is taken; others show us the brutal reality of life without change. There are thousands of works I could include here by way of example, but I would like to point to a piece of public art called Plunge, created in 2012 by the artist Michael Pinsky. The work encircled noteworthy buildings and monuments in London with an illuminated blue line, showing the predicted sea level in the year 3012. The public who encountered these lines on their journeys around the capital were invited to imagine just how much of London would lie below the water's surface. The lines were also intended to suggest a protective shell, indicating that we may still be able to change our situation. The overarching message of Pinsky's work, however, was that adaptation is essential if we want our low-lying capital city to remain habitable.{{Cite web |title=Gathering of Strangers: Why Museums Matter |url=https://shop.tate.org.uk/gathering-of-strangers-why-museums-matter/29460.html |access-date=2024-09-23 |website=shop.tate.org.uk}}

• L'eau Qui Dort. The artist dredged discarded objects from the depths of the Parisian canals and erected them on the surface of the water. This ecological project was commissioned for COP21, but the public interpretation of the work changed after the terrorist strike on Paris. Elian Peltier from the New York Times suggested that "the charged atmosphere after the attacks added tension to the installations".{{Cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/10/arts/international/in-paris-art-confronts-2-crises.html|title = New York Times - In Paris, Art Confronts 2 Crises|website = The New York Times| date=9 December 2015 | last1=Peltier | first1=Elian }}
• Come Hell or High Water. The artist semi-submerged a fleet of cars in the Tyne for the World Summit of Arts and Culture.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tyne/5122964.stm|title=BBC NEWS - UK - England - Tyne - Cars are turned into floating art|work=bbc.co.uk|date=27 June 2006 }}
• Lost 0. The artist used reclaimed street signs to build a monument to the lost ring road in Ashford as part of the largest Shared space Scheme in Europe. The sculpture was featured extensively in the press.{{Cite news|title = Road sign art 'confusing drivers'|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/6285594.stm|newspaper = BBC|date = 2007-07-09|access-date = 2016-02-23}}{{Cite web|url = http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/.../Gfta_awards_offered_Jan_2104.xlsx|title = Arts Council England - GFA award 2014}}{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Jeremy Clarkson, a prominent opponent to the scheme, predicted there would be a "Jaguar dance of death", however studies demonstrated that there was in fact a 41% drop in road accidents due to the scheme.{{Cite news|date=2012-07-31|title='Fewer injuries' in Ashford shared space road scheme|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-19065954|access-date=2021-01-17}} He later admitted "he got it wrong".{{Cite web|date=2016-05-03|title='I was wrong about shared space', admits Clarkson|url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/ashford/news/i-was-wrong-about-shared-95344/|access-date=2021-01-17|website=Kent Online|language=en}}
• Pontis. The artist created bilingual Latin and English signs in Wallsend Metro station. This project was shortlisted for the Gulbenkian Prize for Museums.{{Cite news|url = http://www.michaelpinsky.com/press/pontis/tyne-titian.jpg|title = The Independent - Tyne takes on Titian}}{{Cite news|title = Latin lessons for Tyneside travellers|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2847385.stm|newspaper = BBC|date = 2003-03-13|access-date = 2016-02-23}}

Pinsky has received awards from the RSA, Arts Council England,{{Cite web|url = http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/.../Gfta_awards_offered_Jan_2104.xlsx|title = Arts Council England - GFA awards 2014}}{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} British Council,{{cite web|url=http://www.britishcouncil.cn/en/programmes/arts/michael-pinsky-survey|title=Michael Pinsky Exhibition in Chengdu - British Council|work=britishcouncil.cn}} Arts and Business, the Wellcome Trust{{cite web|url=http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/About-us/Publications/Reports/Public-engagement/Sciart-evaluation-report/WTX057052.htm|title=Panacea|work=wellcome.ac.uk}} and his exhibition Pontis was shortlisted for the prestigious Gulbenkian Museums Award.{{cite web|url=http://www.thegulbenkianprize.org.uk/press/pr160104.htm#top|title=The Gulbenkian Prize for museums and galleries - Press release|work=thegulbenkianprize.org.uk|access-date=2015-05-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607044940/http://www.thegulbenkianprize.org.uk/press/pr160104.htm#top|archive-date=2013-06-07|url-status=dead}}

{{Reflist}}{{Authority control}}

• [http://www.michaelpinsky.com/ Artist's web site]
• [https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_pinsky_cars_its_a_question_of_culture?subtitle=en Artist's TedX Talk: Cars - its a question of culture]
• [https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_pinsky_buy_less_bin_less_the_culture_of_consuming?subtitle=en Artist's TedX Talk: Buy Less, Bin Less: The Culture of Consuming]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinsky, Michael}}

Category:1967 births

Category:Living people

Category:British installation artists

Category:Alumni of Manchester Metropolitan University

Category:Alumni of the University of Brighton

Category:Alumni of the Royal College of Art

Category:Scottish contemporary artists

Category:Artists from London

Category:Environmental artists

Category:Scottish sculptors

Category:Climate change artists