How a Group Exhibition at the Peninsula New York Helps Makes Guests (and the Public) Feel at Home

Last May, ahead of the opening of the Frieze art fair on
Randall’s Island, the Peninsula New York decided to do something
special for art lovers.

Ahead of the fair, the property,
which is one of the city’s most luxurious art-centric hotels,
debuted a group exhibition in conjunction with Lehmann Maupin featuring
works by a diverse range of artists. Among them were Do Ho Suh, the Korean sculptor
and installation artist, Catherine Opie, the Los Angeles-based
photographer, and Angel Otero, the Puerto Rican
painter. 

The show, titled “Home,” examines how these artists and others have
explored the themes of home, identity, and community—and how those
themes also reflect the Peninsula’s core values and commitment to
celebrating family and heritage.

While the exhibition was
originally intended to end this fall, it was recently extended
through March 30, 2020, due to an overwhelmingly positive response
from hotel guests and visitors alike. (The exhibition is open to
the public.)

“We have so many visitors who
come in to see the art, and are in awe of the scale of this
exhibition in particular,” says Jonathan Crook, the Peninsula New
York’s general manager.

“As we’ve continued to deepen
our commitment to the arts community globally, we’ve found that
many of our guests are collectors, curators, artists, and
philanthropists who live with contemporary art in their daily
lives. They have really enjoyed seeing museum-quality artworks in
their home [with us] while they are traveling. Some have even
shared that they love seeing the art in a non-traditional space,
and are excited to visit us each year to discover new
artists.”  

In the past year, the
Peninsula has ramped up
its arts programming around the world.

This spring, in conjunction with
Art Basel Hong Kong, the Peninsula announced the launch of
its Art in Resonance
program. The project presents a traveling exhibition at all 10 of its global
properties over the course of the next few years. Among the works
on view are original pieces by artists such as Iván Navarro, Janet
Echelman, and Timothy Paul Myers, plus works by local
talents.

Meanwhile, at the Peninsula New York, a series
of artists’ talks and
collectors’ dinners have been organized in partnership with several
arts organizations based in the city. 

“Home” was inspired by Suh’s recent exhibition
at the Brooklyn Museum. Two of his works adorn the Peninsula’s
public spaces: his
famous installation Wielandstr. 18, 12159 Berlin-3
Corridors (2011), a scaled reproduction of a corridor in
his former Berlin apartment made from fabric, on view in the Palm
Court; and Cause &
Effect (2007), a cone-shaped chandelier made of hundreds of
small acrylic figurines, stacked one atop another.

The corridor work is part of the
artist’s “fabric sculpture” series, which explores the meaning of
home and identity. The chandelier, hung from the ceiling of the
Peninsula New York’s Gotham Lounge, symbolizes the strength of
community.

“Suh’s [works] are inspiring and
poetic,” Crook says. “The idea of longing for home, and the
connection between physical spaces and memory resonated with
us.”

Elsewhere, striking large-scale works by Heidi Bucher examine
how human bodies occupy physical space. “We found intense
synergy between Heidi Bucher’s work and Do Ho Suh’s, and the rest
came together,” Crook says.

“Angel Otero’s work is largely
influenced by identity and heritage through memories and family
memorabilia. The pieces we have on view explore identity as well as
form, color, and line. That led us to Ashley Bickerton, who made
the incredible corral sculpture, The Edge of Things (1993), an early work created by the artist
after he relocated to Bali. We also wouldn’t be able to show an
exhibition exploring identity without including the legendary work
of Catherine Opie. The subjects of her three photographs are Glenn
Ligon, Kara Walker, and Agnes Gund, all of whom are prominent
art-world figures.”

“We are personally very proud to have the
opportunity to make private works accessible to the public for
viewing,” Crook says.

“The Peninsula New York will
exhibit annually throughout the public spaces of the hotel with a
new program launching in the spring. Furthermore, the Art in
Resonance program directly commissions emerging and mid-career
artists, providing critical financial and logistical support. Art
in Resonance will resume its travels in 2020 in the spring with new
installations in Hong Kong during Art Basel, and, in parallel, at
the Peninsula Tokyo from April onward.”

The post How a Group Exhibition at the Peninsula New York
Helps Makes Guests (and the Public) Feel at Home appeared first
on artnet News.