Ping Pong Go-Round, 1998

With Ping Pong Go-Round, his practice took a new direction with audience participation and engagement. With this interactive installation, Lee Wen playfully tweaks the concept of the traditional rectangular table tennis table by bending it into doughnut shape. The removable piece acts as a gate that allows players inside the circle, turning table tennis into a multiplayer game. The game refers to the back-and-forth communication at conference tables, to dialogue between players on opposite sides. The work links to the 'Ping-pong diplomacy' between the Republic of China and the United States in the 1970s. The exchange of professional table tennis players is considered a turning point in US-China relations: the meeting and its promotion put humanity and tolerance first. This paved the way for President Nixon's visit to Beijing in 1972. The round shape of this ping-pong table refers to the UN's typical round conference table. The round shape, with no left and right side, completely alters interaction. The linear or bipolar nature of the game shifts to one with multiple directions and embraces multiple participants. New opportunities for wider conversation emerge and the power dynamics between players shift constantly, strengthening group interaction. Ping Pong Go-Round was first shown to the public in April 1998 in Melbourne, Australia. After that, the work travelled the world. The version for the Kortrijk Triennial is produced posthumously under the supervision of Lee Wen’s widow, artist Satoko Lee. The work is a nod to the first Kortrijk Triennial in 2018 with the theme PLAY. It is set up in the renovated Casino Garden and instantly activates this place by allowing people to gather and play.