DAVID ZINK YI
THREE THOUSAND SONGS

FONDATION BEYELER, BASEL, SWITZERLAND
16 JULY 2025

In partnership with Sutra House, the Fondation Beyeler is welcoming the artist David Zink Yi as part of the Sound Garden. Inspired by a small mimicry bird, which is said to have the largest song repertoire in the world, and deeply rooted in the musical traditions of the African diaspora—especially in the folkloric and popular music of the Caribbean and Cuba—Zink Yi embarks on an experimental composition process together with collaborating musicians. The imitation of nature becomes the core of artistic expression. As in his earlier projects, Zink Yi opens up spaces for transformation and reinvention, questioning common concepts of belonging.

Three Thousand Songs,
concert/performance
Something In The Air, 2022,
Haubrok Foundation, Berlin
© David Zink Yi

Artists: Rodney Barreto and Jose Carlos Sanchez Portilla (drums); Marvin Diz (percussion); Yuliesky Gonzalez Guerra (trumpet); Regis Molina (alto and baritone saxophone, flutes); Dany Arce Paneque (trombone); David Leon (alto and soprano saxophone, flutes and clarinet).

FEATURED ARTIST

DAVID ZINK YI
David Zink Yi (b. 1973 in Lima, Peru) lives and works in Berlin. He explores the body as a site of identity, memory, and transformation, engaging with a wide range of media in the process. From video and sculpture to ceramics, sound, and performance, his art reflects his complex heritage. As a descendant of Indigenous Peruvians, as well as Chinese, Italian, and German immigrants, his own body – situated at the intersection of diverse cultural identities – becomes a focal point in his practice. Zink Yi’s earliest works focused on self-reflection, using the camera to develop a form of self-ethnography. This approach later evolved into a prot...
Read more