Earlier this month, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston shared exciting redevelopment plans with the community, including a brand new modern and contemporary art building and impressive additions to the institution’s permanent collection. In the upcoming years, the museum’s 14-acre campus will become home to seven major site-specific commissions by internationally recognized artists El Anatsui, Byung Hoon Choi, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Olafur Eliasson, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Cristina Iglesias and Ai Weiwei. Kinzelman Art is honored to have collaborated with two of these distinguished, globally recognized artists, and are thrilled to know that the Houston community will soon be enriched further through their works that will be featured at the MFAH.
KAC x EL ANATSUI
El Anatsui's site-specific commission in the Energy Corridor, Houston, TX
In 2007, Julie Kinzelman worked with Nigerian artist El Anatsui to complete his very first site-specific commission in the United States. Stretching 27 feet high, the impressively scaled sculpture is constructed of thousands of folded and crumpled bottle tops bound together. The piece was specifically designed for our client, a multinational energy corporation headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Anatsui alongside his artwork during a visit to Houston.
Anatsui is now internationally recognized for his alluring assemblages of found, recycled materials that ultimately transform the environment for which they hang. His work is a direct representation of his African roots, while also referencing the environment, mass consumption and waste.
KAC x OLAFUR ELIASSON
In 2016, Kinzelman Art kicked off a three year project working closely with Berlin-based artist Olafur Eliasson. In tandem with his esteemed studio of engineers and architects, Eliasson created a two-part, site-specific sculpture for Texas A&M’s new Zachry Engineering Education Complex. Eliasson’s concept for the commission was to invite viewers to consider mathematically how a cube can transform into a sphere.
Olafur Eliasson's site-specific sculpture at Texas A&M University
Eliasson’s sculpture, “How to Build a Sphere out of Cubes,” includes two brushed and polished stainless steel sculptures situated at the outer ends of the elliptical lawn engaging in formal dialogue with one another. The iconic artwork attracts students and visitors and serves as a desired meeting point on campus. You can learn more about this artwork, and KAC's project with Texas A&M here.
"The Breathing Moon" installed in the lobby space at Park District, Dallas.
KAC also prominently featured Eliasson’s sculpture, “The Breathing Moon”, in the newly completed sophisticated lobby of Park District, Dallas. This sculpture is comprised of 24 crystal spheres to infer phases of the moon. Similar to Eliasson's sculpture at TAMU, and much of his work, the mirrored surfaces encourage interaction with an ever changing appearance dependent on the viewer's movements and the surrounding space.
"The Breathing Moon" Detail Image.
PARK DISTRICT DALLAS
At the heart of the Dallas Arts District, a new mixed-use development recently unveiled their art collection at a public event last month. In collaboration with Trammell Crow Company, Kinzelman Art Consulting acquired 4 works of art for the lobby of their 900,000+ square foot office tower. Among these pieces are a wall-based sculpture by Olafur Eliasson, two site-specific commissions by Billy Childish and a 16 foot painting by Jennifer Bartlett.
Olafur Eliasson wall-based sculpture at Park District, Dallas.
The lobby's sleek open space is punctuated with a pristine Eliasson sculpture titled "The Breathing Moon." Eliasson's work examines consciousness and cultural conditions, and how they define human interaction and perception of the world around us. Nearby is Jennifer Bartlett's dynamic sky painting, consisting of a dense crosshatching that creates texture amid vibrant colors that illuminate the clouds in the composition.
Jennifer Bartlett painting at Park District, Dallas.
Two paintings commissioned by British artist Billy Childish are also included in the collection. In his emotive oil and charcoal paintings, Childish skillfully illustrates his signature fluid and gestural painting technique.
Billy Childish painting at Park District, Dallas.
ORRICK, HOUSTON
KAC recently completed a collection for LA-based law firm, Orrick's new Downtown, Houston office space. The space houses a diverse list of artists, both national and internationally represented, and includes works on paper, paintings and wall-based sculptural works.
Graham Caldwell installation and detail images at Orrick.
Among Orrick's collection are works by Matt Kleberg, Alex Katz, Katy Stone, Evan Robarts, Linda Martinello and others.
Evan Robarts and Matt Kleberg pieces at Orrick.
Ruello's commissions installed at 500 w 2nd.
Kinzelman Art Consulting partnered with Trammell Crow Company and CBRE on their new skyscraper located in Downtown, Austin. In close proximity to Austin's beloved Lady Bird Lake, the striking 500 West 2nd Street space, designed by Gensler, holds an impressive collection of tenants. The project goal was to activate the lobby with boldly infused color, and reflect Austin’s iconic flare.
Esparza's wall-based sculpture in the lobby space.
"Art brings a new set of rules and compositions that juxtapose with architecture in ways that are unexpected and can be serendipitous. This building and lobby were conceived as hierarchic, one leading to the other and vice versa where momentary interruptions in the order allow for the individual to contemplate and enjoy being transported by the art."
- Tom Marsden, Associate, Gensler
Esparza detail image.
El Paso-based artist Adrian Esparza, represented in Dallas by Cris Worley Fine Art, was selected to address the largest wall with his signature sarape artwork. This impressively sized piece, scaled specifically for the vertical wall, offers a visual push-pull effect with bold contrasting colors. The unique material usage in Esparza's work forms a natural dialogue across the lobby, where Erin Curtis’s equally active cut and layered painting is installed. Although indicative of Curtis's body of work, this piece in particular is intended to mimic the rapid growth and vibrant spirit of Austin, TX, where Curtis also resides.
Curtis's cut and layered painting in the lobby space.
The collection continues around the corner with two large-scale paintings by Houston-based artist Robert Ruello, represented by Inman Gallery. These are Ruello’s largest works to date, functioning as murals to tenants entering the building through the garage elevators. Ruello digitally renders his compositions, then carefully transfers them onto canvas using tracing paper and various densities of paint and flashe. This technique informs a unique visual language transitioning between moments of bold expression and negative space. The building's collection upstairs includes works on paper by Nicola Lopez and Ross Bleckner, and a site-specific installation by Paul Fleming.
KAC admiring Ruello's painting.
" KAC was wonderful to work with and made the entire process of selecting, commissioning and installing each piece at 500 W 2nd Street stress free for the ownership team. The art has completed our lobby and activated the borders of the space while staying true with the original design intent. Our tenants enjoy the pop of color and the energy it brings to their daily life. "
-Kristi English, Development Manager, Trammell Crow Company
When the Australian mining company, BHP announced their plans to construct a 600,000 square foot sky scraper designed by Pickard Chilton of New Haven, Connecticut along the bustling Post Oak Boulevard in Houston, Kinzelman Art was honored to be selected to place a prominent work of art within the refined lobby. On behalf of BHP and in partnership with Gensler, KAC led the process of selecting New York based artist, Sharon Louden, represented by Morgan Lehman Gallery to create a site-specific sculpture suspended from the 30 foot high lobby ceiling.
Louden's site-specific installation
Louden's ongoing exploration of compelling materials such as large swaths of mirror-polished aluminum set the stage for a dynamic, yet refined installation. The cascading sculpture creates a fluid composition that one could relate to the mining industry and natural geological formations. Among the multi-faceted aspects of the overall work of art is its ability to physically reflect the surrounding environment and changing light as well as the movement of pedestrians below.
installation image
CLICK HERE to watch Glasstire's artist interview.
Ground view of Louden's installation
This project was completed in collaboration with representatives of BHP, Pickard Chilton, Gensler, Harvey Builders, Cushman & Wakefield, Morgan Lehman Gallery, and TYart Museum Quality Services.
BHP building in Post Oak, Houston
KAC announces a solo exhibition with Houston artist Hillevi Baar on view at Gensler Houston. The inspired creator of intricate installation-based works, Baar views herself as not only an artist but also as a facilitator who assists her medium of Mylar to reside in it's intended and natural state. Her active interplay with medium explores variations in form, often derived from interactions observed between wind, water, plant life and shadow play.
"Float" by Baar in Gensler's reception
Baar’s experimentation with Mylar is particularly evident in "Float," a site-specific installation created for Gensler’s reception. This elegant suspended sculpture investigates the balance between meticulous strategizing and spontaneous on-site manipulation in response to the environment. Baar began creating this piece by carefully scoring the Mylar to intentionally mimic the linear forms throughout Gensler’s space.
"Wild Flowers" by Baar in Gensler's Conference Corridor
References to nature are also seen in "Wild Flowers," a wave-like form installed along Gensler's Conference Corridor comprised of Mylar and steel pins resembling delicate branches. These complex elements seem to grow from the wall, fusing into one fluid shape that gently sways with the flow of foot traffic. These slight movements expose individualized drawings hidden between the intricate layers.
Detail of "Wild Flowers"
This interactive component allows the viewer to experience the piece in its entirety, while also inviting the study of each self-contained drawing. Conversely, "Unraveled" in the Coffee Corridor beckons the viewer to quietly approach the finely cut and tapering suspended Mylar sheet to fully experience the highly detailed graphite drawings within.
"Unraveled" by Baar in Gensler's Coffee Corridor
Detail of "Unraveled"
Baar is continuously experimenting with the dimensionality and boundaries of medium to transform the environments of numerous corporate and private spaces. This exhibition was curated by Kinzelman Art Consulting on behalf of Gensler.
As part of our quarterly art rotations at Gensler Architecture’s offices in downtown Houston, we asked The Art Guys to take over Gensler’s space. The duo gladly curated a selection of works for the reception and corridors that explore architecture, urban planning, and engineering. The Art Guys, Jack Massing and Michael Galbreth, have been injecting humor and wackiness into the art world for over 30 years.
This show, The Art Guys: Some Conceptions, digs into their rich archive of work to spark a conversation tailored to Gensler’s industry. The show includes an installation of found office objects that are grouped and shimmed (literally inserting wooden wedges under the objects), a large skyscraper sculpture made entirely of pencils, a series of the 101 of the World’s Greatest Sculpture Proposals, and an expansive salon of Art Guys drawings, sketches, and doodles of projects concepts. The exhibition as a whole is a testament to how The Art Guys expertly present complex concepts with lightness and humor.
While installing the main reception display of shimmed objects, Michael explained the importance of improvisation to their work: “I prefer to make the entire show on site. It's more fun and becomes more of a truly experimental thing.” True to this process, he gathered random office supplies, arranged, and shimmed them completely on the fly - stacking a pencil sharpener on chair or unrolling a roll of toilette paper then shimming one side or the other. The shim to The Art Guys is “the perfect sculpture. … The funny thing is that it destabilizes everything. Instead of making it sturdy, you make it teeter, which is our mythology.”
The other works in the show follow this philosophy of destabilization as well. The pencil skyscraper, Bonded Activity #55 Skyscraper, transforms the grand form of something large and looming into its origin, the humble pencil, the design and form of which is less famous but equally or arguably more significant. They revisit this idea of the “architecture of material” in other sculptures using bottles, pills, or food as their building blocks.
The series of Sculpture Proposals present seemingly mundane objects, architecture, design, or concepts that when viewed as plans for sculpture become absurd. These clever collages seem like more formal iterations of some of their sketches and concept drawings.
The salon hang of sketches depicting past concepts and unrealized projects casts the brightest light onto The Art Guys’ process. They arrived onsite with boxes of photographs, doodles, and drawings from their archive. Then, the two of them sorted and resorted these items to compose a wall filled with these artifacts. Each one acts as a window into a potential creation. They explain that “all we've got are ideas…. the drawings are a way of recording an idea.” Some are absurd and cerebral and some are blueprints for physical structures yet to be realized. This wall installation, which mirrors many of the design walls throughout Gensler, illustrates how The Art Guys build their bizarre yet captivating body of work.
In this unique setting, The Art Guys exhibition addresses key topics relating to architectural structure and design processes that are uniquely relevant to Gensler. They take these core principles and turn them on their head in the hopes of inspiring a reaction or contemplation.
From left: Amy Ellingson, Darren Waterston, and Nick Hornby
What happens when an interior and product designer builds his own home AND loves art? A complete masterpiece! A bold sense of design and unflinching aesthetic permeates each small detail. Designed with art in mind, the home naturally creates visual frames for ideal viewing from multiple vantage points allowing the art to play its own starring role.
From left: Rob Fischer and Bo Joseph
