Michael Pinsky

Pinsky’s projects in the public realm have often courted controversy in the press. Notable projects include;

Pollution Pods The artist created a series of interlinked geodesic domes which contained polluted air from cities around the world. There was some confusion and concern about whether the environments within the domes could have a detrimental impact on visitors' health. During an interview for BBC1, the presenter David Sillito was 'speechless' when the artist explained that he could not use genuine London air within the London pod. The Pollution Pods have been exhibited at the Starmus Festival, Trondheim, Somerset House, London , World Health Organisation's first international conference on Air Pollution, Place des Nations, Geneva, Klimahaus Bremerhaven, Germany, TED Annual Conference, Vancouver, Canada, Science Gallery Melbourne, Australia, UN Climate Action Summit, UN Buildings, New York City, and COP 25, Madrid. Greta Thunberg when visiting the Pollution Pods remarked "It’s an incredible exhibition, It’ll really bring attention to these problems, and if people can experience this, people from all around the world, how these people live everyday, it will bring lots of attention and people will be more encouraged to deal with these problems". Dr Tedros Adhanom tweeted that the Pollution Pods successfully raised awareness about impacts of air pollution on health. Teresa Ribera, Minister for the Ecological Transition of Spain, said: “Air pollution and climate change are the two sides of the same coin. The symbolic installation of the Pollution Pods at COP25 should remind everybody that we are negotiating for cleaner environments, cutting emissions and gaining better health for all.” Artnet rated the Pollution Pods as one of the 100 Works of Art That Defined the Decade. Stir Magazine listed Pollution Pods as one of the ten most unforgettable artworks of 2019.

Michael Pinsky studied in England at Manchester Polytechnic, the University of Brighton and at the Royal College of Art in London. He was awarded a Doctorate from the University of East London in 2000.

Michael Pinsky (born in 1967) is a visual artist who uses diverse media such as video, performance, mapping systems and sculpture to explore geopolitical aspects of a site. Through the displacement and conflation of existing objects and activities he critiques the impact of society’s behaviour. He is known particularly for his projects in the public realm.