In her solo exhibition Swallow City, Nancy Lu Rosenheim transforms Gallery 2 and the Lobby with a sensational new mixed-media installation. Through the sculptures and drawings on view, Rosenheim examines nature’s ongoing influence on structural design and architectural beauty, underscoring the capacity for nature to flourish and reclaim built spaces.
The site specific installation disrupts the horizontality of the hallway gallery with looming helix forms swirling towards the ceiling to create a man-made forest for visitors to navigate. In the lobby, plastered pods of porous bulbs made from plastic Easter-egg containers and other found materials hang under the central staircase. Despite her use of playful and cartoonish color, Rosenheim’s installations are not whimsical; rather, they explore the capacity for nature to become an all-encompassing – even destructive – force through its ongoing negotiation with humanity.
