New York City Ballet Art Series: GERONIMO
OH, BABY! BRING ON THE BALLOONS! Geronimo (aka Jihan Zencirli) is in the house! And by house, I mean the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center; home to the New York City Ballet. Each year, NYCB asks a contemporary artist to create an installation at the Koch theater. They invite audiences to experience the installation and attend various special events surrounding its exhibition throughout the winter season. NYCB has a long history of engaging artists from various genres, and this is a wonderful continuation of that aspect of George Balanchine's legacy. You should definitely check out the initiative here.What you might also be wondering: who is Geronimo/Jihan Zencirli? How do I pronounce that name? And what do balloons have to do with anything? Jihan Zencirli (ji-haan zen-jer-li, approx) is a Turkish-American artist and founder of the company Geronimo Balloons. Not coincidentally, she is most well-known for her use of balloons to create monumental (temporary) sculptural installations. Even Oprah is a fan. And, yes, the balloons are environmentally friendly!
NYCB has been pushing the ballet envelope in an amazing and engaging way lately, most notably with last year's debut of Justin Peck's "The Times are Racing". It's set to an electronic Dan Deacon score with costumes by Humberto Leon. Très cool. When I left, I wasn't sure if I had just watched ballet or a street dance troupe! And I mean that in a good way. While I'll always consider Balanchine to be the ultimate God of modernism, NYCB has done a wonderful job of cultivating that avant-garde legacy and ushering the Company into the 21st century. This new installation is yet another example of their dynamic creativity.Why should you go? The art is fun. It's vibrant and colorful and totally unique. You walk away with a feel-good vibe and a not-so-small obsession with Jihan/Geronimo. I spent about 2 hours in the depths of google looking at her work and researching every minute detail of her story available to me online. Is it art that will touch you on a deep and cerebral level? No. Or, at least, it wasn't that way for me. But it will engage your eyes and uplift your spirits. And provide plenty of excellent picture opportunities. So head on over to Lincoln Center and check it out! And, better yet, it's FREE to the public during certain hours! Get the details below.
[gallery ids="52,55" type="rectangular"]What? NYCB Art Series 2018 by GeronimoWhere? David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center
When? From February 17 through February 25, the theater will host free, open hours for the general public to view the exhibition at the following times:Mon-Fri 10 AM – 6 PMSat 10 AM – 12 PMSun 10 AM – 1 PM