Vibrant Room-Sized Installations Turn Smithsonian Gallery into a Larger-Than-Life Work of Art

After a two-year renovation, the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian American Art Museum has reopened its doors with an enthralling exhibition titled WONDER. It unites nine contemporary artists who have each produced room-sized installations inspired by the Renwick itself. Together, these individual pieces transform the building into an eclectic, larger-than-life work of art.

WONDER features the work of renowned artists Jennifer Angus, Chakaia Booker, Gabriel Dawe, Tara Donovan, Patrick Dougherty, Janet Echelman, John Grade, Maya Lin, and Leo Villareal. Although they each utilize different materials and processes, the works have the same conceptual basis–they’re constructed with things that are often ignored in art making–index cards, marbles, bugs, and discarded rubber tires are just some of what comprises these awe-inspiring installations.

Tara Donovan’s Untitled uses toothpicks, straws, and styrofoam cups to form an ethereal mountain landscape. John Grade also reconstructs a nature-inspired scene for his piece titled Middle Fork. Here, he casted a tree and rebuilt its form from 500,000 segments of reclaimed cedar. Conversely, Jennifer Angus doesn’t reimagine the natural world, but instead brings it into the gallery. For In the Midnight Garden, she collected over 5,000 real insects from Southeast Asia to create an exquisitely-patterned wallpaper in a bright pink room.

If you’re local to the Washington, DC area, check out WONDER until July 10, 2016.

Above: Gabriel Dawe, Plexus A1

Janet Echelman, 1.8