CHIHULY at the ROM sees the work of renowned American sculptor, Dale Chihuly, on display from June 25th until January 2nd 2017. Chihuly is most well known for his colourful large scale site-specific installations using glass, which often can be seen in public spaces or gardens, such as Kew Gardens, London, in 2005, on long-term show at the MGM Grand Macau Lobby, also at de Young Museum in San Francisco, in 2008, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in 2011.
We also took photos of Dale Chuhily’s exclusive visit to Saks Fifth Avenue on Queen St for the unveiling of his window display. You have one month to catch the Chuhily window displays at Saks.
This exhibition at the ROM features eleven installations designed specifically for the space. As very likely the foremost artist working in this medium, Chihuly’s work must be seen in person to be truly appreciated. It is often conveyed in research and from speakers that Chihuly gives much thought to his use of shape, line, colour, and form, and, while we can see this to an extent in images and Chihuly’s long term works on public display (such as at the MGM Macau), it is upon viewing Chihuly’s work in this carefully presented exhibition at the ROM (curator Diane Charbonneau) that one can best appreciate Chihuly’s refined understanding of the formal elements.
In particular, Chihuly’s “Float Boat”, 2014, showed beautiful use of colour with its 84 brightly multicoloured glass forms held mostly within the weathered boat atop a reflective black Plexiglas surface. The “Red Reeds on Logs” installations are particularly dramatic in their use of colour as the intense red ‘reeds’, achieved by pulling hot molten glass downwards from a mechanical lift, are contrasted with the soft texture of the Ontario sourced white birch logs. The arrangement of this installation interplays beautifully with the familiar diagonals of the ROM’s interior and are a further testament to Chihuly’s response to the space. A must see show.
For more information visit about the Chuhily exhibit visit click here.
Dale Chuhily at Saks Fifth Avenue Photos by James Shay
ROM Photos by Emma Lau
