Exhibition View of Halo by Shay Frisch
The Modern Art Museum (MAM) Shanghai presents the first-ever museum exhibition in China by artist Shay Frisch entitled Halo. In the exhibition, Frisch reimagines the traditional notions ofthe halo for a contemporary audience. By drawing on historical, spiritual, and technological themes, the artist invites viewers to engage with energy as both a physical phenomenon and a metaphor for infinite possibility.
Exhibition View of Halo by Shay Frisch
Curated by MAM Artistic Director Shai Baitel, the exhibition highlights the artist's large-scale, site-specific installations where light becomes a visible manifestation of electricity. Frisch's work connects sacred and secular realms and explores the enduring power of circular motifs to evoke connection, balance, and transcendence. Using circuits, bespoke electrical components, and industrial materials, the artist arranges these elements into geometric forms that emit light, transforming inert objects into dynamic fields of energy.
Shay Frisch, Energy Field (campo 7094_N), 2024, Electrical components, ©Shay Frisch
As Frisch explains,“A halo can be visible or invisible, yet it is always a manifestation of the inner nature of things.” His installations emphasize the invisible—the energy fields that radiate outward and permeate the surrounding space. “The artwork is actually invisible,” Frisch continues, “while the visible is primarily the means to generate it.” This duality invites viewers to consider the concept of aura not merely as a visible phenomenon but as an intangible force that emanates authority, conviction, and influence.
Shay Frisch, Energy Field (Campo 9462_N), 2024, ©Shay Frisch
Shai Baitel, Artistic Director of MAM Shanghai says,“Frisch has a way of transforming an exhibition space into immersive environments that respect the surrounding architecture and become moments of unity and harmony. Halo is an energetic experience that transcends the boundaries of perception, and we are thrilled to bring this experience to China for the first time.”
Shay Frisch, Energy Field (campo 2780-N), 2023, Electrical components, wood, ©Shay Frisch
About the Artist
Photo by Michele Stanzione
Shay Frisch studied industrial design at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem and at IED in Milan before earning a Masters under the guidance of Andrea Branziat Domus Academy. In 1993 Frisch moved to Rome and established a design studio, which over the years has developed multiple projects worldwide. In 1995 he displayed his work for the first time in an art exhibition with the renowned La Tartaruga gallery of Plinio De Martiis.
Shay Frisch’s works have been shown in various museums and foundations worldwide. In 2013 the Galleria Nazionale di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Rome dedicated a major solo show to his work, curated by Achille Bonito Oliva.
Among his other solo exhibitions: MACRO, Museo di Arte Contemporanea Roma, Rome (2019); ZAC - Zisa Arti Contemporanee, Palermo (2018); MAC, Museo de Arte Contemporàneo, Lima (2017); Fondazione San Fedele, Milan (2017); MAC, Museo de Arte Contemporàneo, Santiago de Chile (2016); CIAC, Centro Internazionale per l’Arte Contemporanea, Colonna Castle in Genazzano (2015); Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art, Israel (2011). In 2020 Frisch has had a two-man solo show with Christian Boltanski at the Riso Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea della Sicilia, Palermo.
His work has been featured in two editions of the Venice Biennale - 57th and 59th International Art Exhibition (2017 and 2022); three editions of the Bienal de Curitiba at MON Museu Oscar Niemeyer (2015, 2017 and 2019); Milan World EXPO (2015); Bienal del Fin del Mundo in Valparaiso, Chile (2015) and Mar del Plata, Argentina (2014); Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi, Spoleto (2012).
In 2012 he exhibited for the first time in the USA, at the Haunch of Venison gallery in New York and in 2018 he presented an installation at the Royal Palace of Caserta.
Frisch’s work is found in various public and private collections, including the permanent collection of the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Rome.
Shay Frisch lives and works in Rome.
About the Exhibition
Dates: March 30, 2025–June 2, 2025
Venue: The Modern Art Museum (MAM) Shanghai
Courtesy of the Artist and The Modern Art Museum (MAM) Shanghai.
