Artwork Screening: Cosmic Bloom NFT Series at the Figge Art Museum -- November 21.
Thursday, November 21, 6:30 p.m.
Figge Art Museum, 225 West Second Street, Davenport IA
On November 21, patrons of the Figge Art Museum are invited to enjoy a fascinating screening of select NFTs (non-fungible tokens) from visual artist Leo Villareal's series Cosmic Bloom, which is featured in his current Davenport exhibition Interstellar, a series that reflects the ordered randomness found in nature starting with simple geometric forms that evolve into complex, arresting layers.
In Interstellar, Villareal's sculptures emit a hypnotic, diffused light, drawing inspiration from celestial imagery and capturing the dynamism of space through their interplay of colors and shapes. Each artwork features a unique sequence created through generative code, ensuring that no two sculptures are alike. The exhibition includes selections from Villareal’s NFT series Cosmic Bloom, its dynamic layers resulting from a blend of human control, engineering, and chance, highlighting the intersection of art and technology.
"Interstellar invites viewers to immerse themselves in an exhibition where art and technology converge," said Figge Co-Senior Curator Joshua Johnson. "Villareal's work exemplifies the endless possibilities of light as a medium, and we're thrilled to bring this experience to the Figge."
Leo Villareal is renowned for his large-scale, site-specific light installations. Notably, he is creating Evanescent Field, a light sculpture that will illuminate the Figge Art Museum facade in 2025. Once completed, it will be the largest public artwork in Iowa. Villareal’s prominent works include The Bay Lights on San Francisco’s Bay Bridge, Illuminated River in London, which connects nine bridges through a single artwork, and Multiverse, a volumetric installation connecting the East and West buildings of the National Gallery of Art.
Additionally, works by Villareal are in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Renwick Gallery and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York, as well as in private collections. His artistic creations have also been on display at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C.; Madison Square Park in New York City; the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art; the PS 1 Contemporary Art Center in Long Island City, New York; the Northpark Mall in Dallas; and Brooklyn Academy of Music.
The screening of Cosmic Bloom's NFT Series will take place in Davenport on November 21, admission to the 6:30 p.m. event is free (with the Figge bar opening at 5 p.m.), and Interstellar itself is on display through January 19. For more information, call (563)326-7804 and visit FiggeArtMuseum.org.
