DAVID MEDALLA
b. 1942, PhilippinesMedalla was a pioneering Filipino-born artist whose practice encompassed performance, installation, kinetic sculpture, and participatory art. He moved across Manila, New York, London, Paris, and Berlin, connecting avant-garde communities worldwide.
He gained prominence in the 1960s with his kinetic Cloud Canyons bubble machines, which became icons of ephemeral, participatory art. His relational piece A Stitch in Time invited collective involvement, transforming everyday acts into poetic and political gestures.
Medalla also founded Signals Gallery in London (1964), a hub for experimental international artists, and later the London Biennale, continuing his role as a catalyst for collaborative and socially engaged art. Throughout his career, Medalla challenged institutional conventions and embraced activism, collaboration, and play, leaving a profound legacy within kinetic and participatory art. His works remain part of major museum collections worldwide.
Courtesy Baró Galeria
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