Washington, DC
Yoko Ono
Location Scout
Cherry Blossom Rendezvous
Presidential Portraits on View at the Portrait Gallery
Michelle Obama by Amy Sherald and Barack Obama by Kehinde Wiley on view at the Portrait Gallery! These portraits make lovely additions to the collection. Photos from a quick trip, below:
Do Ho Suh: Almost Home
"Hub" sculptures by Korean artist, Do Ho Suh are conjoined rooms and passageways that depict the artists childhood home. Made entirely of fabric by traditional Korean sewing techniques, combined with 3-D modeling and mapping technologies.
Modern Wing at NGA
After traveling through the dark "Multiverse" by Leo Villareal to get to the East Wing, the feeling of the warm sun through the glass ceiling, just may have been life-changing. So GLAD I had my wide-angle this time around - to capture the real ambiance of this vast and expansive lobby space. Enjoy captures below:
“Hahn/Cock”
Originally on view at Trafalgar Square in London, "Hann/Cock" by Katharina Fritsch was later acquired by the Glenstone Museum in Potomac and now sits at the National Gallery of Art in DC. Made of fibreglass and standing at 15.5 feet high, this immense and detailed sculpture took 2.5 years to create! Although interpretation is left to the viewer to decide, the intention of this statue is to inspire a sense of humor. It sits on the entrance to the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art - as a sudden announcement and landmark that initiates the beginning of the museum's modern art collection.
Multiverse
STILLS of this moving light sculpture - approximately 40,000 computer programmed LED nodes run through a 200 foot long channel. "The programming both instructs the lights and allows for an element of chance, so that it is very unlikely that any pattern will repeat during a viewer's experience."
Spring Blossoms
An overcast day makes a great opportunity to get some amazing shots in natural and ambient light. In this scenario, the overcast sky is complemented with pale pink hues offered by the flower blossoms. These captures are special because of the different focal lengths of the branches and blossoms; some are closer to the camera, while others further away - adding depth and volume to the composition.
Now, if spring could only hurry up & stay!
"Shrumen Lumen" - from No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man
This installation, on display at the Renwick Gallery was created by FoldHaus, "a group of designers, engineers and makers who strive to create high quality interactive kinetic art." The artwork on display, "Shrumen Lumen" is a large sculptural piece, depicting mushrooms in origami form. The origami sculptures are interactive and change movements and coloration in response to what is happening around them. The tops of the "mushrooms" slowly change shape while the entire body changes color - a truly magical experience to watch <3
No Spectators - The Art of Burning Man
Some very stunning show stoppers of the Renwick Gallery's Burning Man exhibit are pictured below, however as usual, photographs just don't do the experience justice. This exhibit will be on view throughout the year, so it's definitely worth to visit in person and more than once!
On a majorly busy opening weekend - experience was transformed and heightened by the crowd. Although the art is so loud by nature...the exhibit definitely assumed the energy of David Best's Temple installation and was quiet, peaceful, calming and introspective throughout.
“No Spectators’ is a long-standing saying on Playa. You are encouraged to fully participate. It’s all about being there, being fully present, and not just observing. Two of the ten principles of Burning Man are radical participation and radical inclusivity, meaning that there are no outsiders. Everyone is part of the experience.”
Cherry Blossom Pub
Shots from a quick visit to this extremely coveted, highly anticipated and popularly photographed spring attraction. The popularity is largely due to the photogenic setting and spring themed ambiance. The Cherry Blossom Pub is a pop up bar, presented by Drink Company, featuring Asian inspired cocktails and snacks.
"Volume"
Volume, by Leo Villareal is made entirely of white LED lights + mirror-finished stainless steel + custom software, and electrical hardware. This dangling light installation is a show-stopping centerpiece, adding shine and sparkle and illumination to the grand staircase of the Renwick Gallery. From far away, Volume appears to be a chandelier, however, Villareal has created this light sculpture using tens of thousands of individual LED bulbs and a computerized program to give the illumination frequent motion.
Temple by David Best
I wasn't originally going to share, as I'm not necessarily proud of how these photos came out. Most importantly, this was a highly submersive experience. If you're any kind of reflective or contemplative person, this exhibit will truly move you, so be very open to the experience!
Built by David Best, a world renowned American sculptor, responsible for building these temple structures out of recycled wood materials for Burning Man, in which they are burnt to the ground at the end of the festival!
The Last of The Winter Fountains
Enjoying one of four large fiberglass domes glow with Jennifer Steinkamp’s dream-like animated video projections before they are taken off of view this week!
Chandelier Heaven
Waltzed right on by this lighting store and couldn't help but venture in. This long, narrow shop is full of precariously hung chandeliers and other intricate light fixtures dangling at varying lengths from the ceiling. Mirrored light and reflections galore!
PHS Flower Show
Ah, yes. How do you know that springtime is right around the corner? Because the Philadelphia Flower Show is on blossom at the convention center! This years theme was "Wonders of Water", celebrating and exploring the beauty and life-sustaining interplay of horticulture and water. Some of my favorite parts of the show included the juried competitions - especially the one where competitors created a flower display inspired by a painting (see below!) I also enjoyed the live flower competitions too!
BMA Highlights
The Baltimore Museum of Art is NOT to be overlooked. Just one visit in and I am obsessed, already planning my next venture back here! This will definitely become a frequent stop in my travels between Philadelphia and DC - I actually can't believe that it's taken so long for me to discover this, but I think I had this experience at just the right time.
Their collection is certainly diverse - including pieces belonging to African, Asian, American, English and European genres. HOWEVER, the Modern and Contemporary collection (which is what I'm interested in) has been quite impressively curated - there are a few interactive pieces, some amazing installations and some key works by popular artists.
Please enjoy some of my favorite pieces from my afternoon tour, works by: Georgia O'Keefe, Hans Hoffman, Calder, Joan Miro, Andy Warhol, Bruce Nauman, Glen Ligon and more!
Untitled by Dan Flavin
Entangled Orbits by Tomás Saraceno
Internationally acclaimed artist and trained architect Tomás Saraceno uses iridescent panels, spider webs, and inflatable orbs in three fascinating sculptures on view. The centerpiece of the exhibition, Entangled Orbits, transforms the East Lobby with clusters of iridescent-paneled modules held in place by strings reminiscent of a spider web. Appearing somewhat like bubbles, these spherical modules evoke the artist’s visionary plans for “cloud cities,” which look to naturally occurring forms for inspiration and might provide environments for future human habitation. Similarly, the intricate spider web of ropes refers to a natural structure that encompasses the qualities of strength, beauty, and flexibility.
Lady Dog Lizard
I seemed to have found my spirit in a painting. Something about the patterns, collage elements and use of color really speaks to my soul! Featured above, "Lady Dog Lizard" by James Rosenquist.
