Steve McQueen's Video Art Exhibition 'Sunshine State' at Pirelli HangarBicocca

The exhibition 'Sunshine State' by Oscar-winning filmmaker and Turner Prize-winning artist Steve McQueen opened at Pirelli HangarBicocca in Milan from March 31 to July 31, 2022. Curated by Vicente Todolì and organized in collaboration with Tate Modern, the show features seven video works and one sculpture, exploring themes of racism, violence, identity, and sexuality. The centerpiece is the eponymous new film 'Sunshine State,' commissioned by the International Film Festival Rotterdam, which juxtaposes images of the sun with a narrative of racial persecution experienced by McQueen's father in 1950s Florida. Other works include 'Static' (2009), showing aerial footage of the Statue of Liberty; close-ups 'Charlotte' (2004) and 'Cold Breath' (1999); and 'Western Deep' (2002), depicting claustrophobic conditions in a South African gold mine. The exhibition is site-specific, with no boundaries between works and visitors, encouraging active engagement. McQueen emphasized the importance of expressive freedom and the role of art in social progress, while requesting that visitors not record or share videos on social media.