Frsich describes his art as being primarily about energy, one of the most important expressions of energy being light. He does not consider his art as light works. Rather, he says, “I use light because light is aimed to express the electrical charge that is embedded in the modules 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.”

Frisch’s work is grounded in primary geometrical shapes, mathematical proportions, essential and archetypal signs, often of archaic origins and associated with ancient wisdom. For Frisch, “these forms hold an emotional power that can help to enhance the energetic experience.” With regard to the inspiration for the MMA exhibition, the halo, widely considered a visible manifestation of an inner nature, is an apt conceptual parallel for Frisch’s installations, which emphasize the invisible—the energy fields that radiate outward and permeate their surrounding space. While the halo effect can be studied from a scientific perspective, Frisch’s artworks explored the effects that arise from shapes that have emotional power, the energy/light they transmit, and the ways in which the duality between seen and unseen phenomena can bring people to a contemplative experience and consideration of humanity’s inner nature.

About the Artist

Shay Frisch studied industrial design at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem and at Istituto Europea di Design (IED) in Milan before earning a Masters degree under the guidance of Andrea Branzi at Domus Academy (Milan). In 1993 Frisch established a design studio in Rome, where he currently lives and works.

Frisch’s work has been featured in the 57th and 59th editions of the Venice Biennale (2017 and 2022); three editions of the Bienal de Curitiba at MON Museu Oscar Niemeyer (2015, 2017 and 2019); the Milan World EXPO (2015); the Bienal del Fin del Mundo in Valparaiso, Chile (2015) and Mar del Plata, Argentina (2014); and the Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi, Spoleto (2012).

He has been the focus of solo exhibitions at MACRO – Museo di Arte Contemporanea Roma (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); and the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art, Israel (2011).

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. 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.