ATLANTA, GA.- The High Museum of Art presents “Tiovivo: Whimsical Sculptures by Jaime Hayon” on The Woodruff Arts Center’s Carroll Slater Sifly Piazza. The site-specific installation by Spanish designer Jaime Hayon continues an innovative multiyear initiative to animate the outdoor space by engaging visitors in an interactive art experience.
On view from June 3 through November 2016, Hayon’s four large-scale wooden sculptures whimsically interpret the familiar shapes of animals or objects, such as a pig or a bell, in ways that inspire playfulness and joy. Each structure features a colorful pattern, ranging from polka dots to stripes, and sets of stairs and slides with openings specifically sized for children that encourage guests to interact with the sculptures. Transforming the piazza into an outdoor art gallery, playground and summer refuge, the sculptures create an atmosphere for socializing and recreation. “Tiovivo” will also become the stage for performances, art-making activities and special events co-organized with local partner institutions.
The installation builds on the success of the High’s 2014 and 2015 commissions “Mi Casa, Your Casa” and “Los Trompos” (“The Spinning Tops”), both created by Mexican designers Héctor Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena. Originally planned as a two-year project, the piazza activation program has been extended through 2017 with funding from the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation through a grant to The Woodruff Arts Center.
“We’re extremely grateful to the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation for their generous support of this initiative. The dynamic and inspiring Jaime Hayon is a great choice for our third year of this interactive programming,” said Rand Suffolk, Nancy and Holcombe T. Green, Jr., director of the High. “This wonderful outdoor space continues to inspire unique opportunities to engage our visitors. We look forward to welcoming everyone to this summer’s incredible activation of the Sifly Piazza.”
Spanish artist-designer Jaime Hayon was born in Madrid in 1974. His artistic vision was first fully exposed in the “Mediterranean Digital Baroque” (London, 2003) and “Mon Cirque” (2006) installations. Those collections put Hayon at the forefront of a new wave that blurred the lines between art, decoration and design and a renaissance in finely-crafted, intricate objects within the context of contemporary design culture. Hayon further defined his vision in subsequent solo exhibitions and shows at major galleries and art fairs all over the globe. Previous projects include the large, functional “The Tournament” chessboard installed during London’s Design Week 2009 (Trafalgar Square) and the “Funtastico” solo exhibition at the Groninger Museum (the Netherlands, 2013). In 2015, the High acquired Hayon’s “The Green Chicken” rocking chair (2008) for its decorative arts and design collection. “Tiovivo” is Hayon’s first major commission in the United States.
Hayon currently resides in Valencia, Spain, with offices in Barcelona and Treviso, Italy. His work has appeared in the most prestigious art and design publications worldwide, and he has won numerous awards, including multiple Elle Deco International Design awards. Hayon was included by Wallpaper Magazine in its “Design’s Top 100 Power List” and recognized by the magazine as one of the most influential creators of the last decade. He was also lauded as a “visionary” and one of the “most creative icons” by TIME magazine.
