Bruno David presents Little Pink; A short film directed by Nianci Li; spotlights a mobile sculpture and performance by artist Christina Shmigel.
The film is named after the cherished bicycle, Little Pink, which once defined Shmigel’ s daily commute in Shanghai and relocated with the artist to St. Louis. Maintaining a nostalgic connection, Shmigel safeguarded the distinctive bicycle license plate required by law at the time and reattached the memento to her current bicycle load. Shmigel draws inspiration from the resilience and optimism she observed in the recycling haulers of Shanghai during her decade-long residency in the city. For Shmigel, these unsung heroes are the best, if inadvertent, sculptors of Shanghai.
For her captivating mobile sculpture, Shmigel meticulously laser-cut individual modules from the cardboard boxes used during her relocation, repurposing recyclable materials into an imaginative load delicately balanced on the bike. Patience is not merely a virtue but a central theme in this work, evident in the painstaking building and assembling process. Little Pink, the sculpture, pays homage to the skills of the Shanghai recyclers, while concurrently resonating with the universal human experience of carrying a psychic load. The sculpture and its activation create a poignant narrative, weaving together Shmigel’ s personal journey and shared stories of perseverance and adaptation.
Combing footage captured with Li’s travel camera and the artist’s presentation, the film Little Pink documents the course of Shmigel’ s performance. Growing up in Shanghai, Li was accustomed to the city’s recyclers; the emergence of familiar imagery re-appropriated by an ex-pat American artist intrigued her and sparked reflection on cross-cultural phenomena. For both artists, the documentary serves as a lens through which ordinary elements assume diverse meanings within shifting contexts.
During her 14 years in Shanghai, including an art residency at the Doulun Museum of Contemporary Art, Christina Shmigel looked to the city of Shanghai to inspire and inform her work. Shmigel now lives and works in St. Louis where she has had solo exhibitions of her work at The Saint Louis Art Museum, Laumeier Sculpture Park, and the St. Louis University Art Museum.
Originally from Shanghai, China, NianciLi graduated from Washington University in St. Louis (BA’22), and has evolved into a nomadic artist and writer, embarking on residencies in Mexico and rural Colombia.
