Large-scale installations by nine contemporary artists - that is the latest show at the Smithsonian American Art Museum at the Renwick Gallery in Washington D.C. What a way to re-open this recently renovated art institution!
Visiting WONDER has been on my to-do list for some time and when I made it to the Gallery, I realized the trip was well worth it. The artists - Jennifer Angus, Chakaia Booker, Gabriel Dawe, Tara Donovan, Patrick Dougherty, Janet Echelman, John Grande, Maya Lin, and Leo Villareal - use unexpected materials and as you walk through the exhibition halls, you will enter a world of magic.
Visiting WONDER has been on my to-do list for some time and when I made it to the Gallery, I realized the trip was well worth it. The artists - Jennifer Angus, Chakaia Booker, Gabriel Dawe, Tara Donovan, Patrick Dougherty, Janet Echelman, John Grande, Maya Lin, and Leo Villareal - use unexpected materials and as you walk through the exhibition halls, you will enter a world of magic.
Photo by Jordan Snyder (www.findingjordan.com)
Some of the materials include tires, marbles, thread, and blocks of wood. Since the installations are large (each artist has her/his own assigned exhibition space), the materials stand out in their sheer size and clever use. For instance, you can lie down on the carpet in the Grand Salon, look up, and admire the changing colors of "volumetric form without solid mass" in a suspended net. This net evokes tsunami waves and was designed by Janet Echelman.
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Fancy a hide-out? Stop in one of the pods made out of willow saplings by Patrick Dougherty. You will feel like a kid again!
And the moment of learning something new and taking in a breath of wonder is exactly when I go to see art shows. Don't stay at home - head to the Renwick Gallery and take a deep breath.
And the moment of learning something new and taking in a breath of wonder is exactly when I go to see art shows. Don't stay at home - head to the Renwick Gallery and take a deep breath.