Artist Behind Coachella Display To Create Exhibit In Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA—An artist behind an art exhibit at Coachella was selected to make an exhibit for Alexandria's Waterfront Park. Olalekan Jeyifous will create public art to open in spring 2020, the Alexandria Office of the Arts announced.

Jeyifous, an artist based in Brooklyn, has worked on creating large-scale artwork for public spaces for over a decade. He will also work on a monument for Shirley Chisholm in Brooklyn, and past projects have included the 2017 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Cleveland’s Public Square, and Starbucks’ flagship store in Chicago. He holds a bachelor's degree in architecture from Cornell University and his work has been featured at the Studio Museum in Harlem, the MoMA, the Vitra Design Museum and the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain. He has done artist residencies with the Headlands Center for the Arts, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, and the Drawing Center’s Open Sessions program, and was a Wilder Green Fellow at the MacDowell Colony.

The opening of Waterfront Park has created a space for rotating public art displays. The current exhibit is Mirror, Mirror, an interactive piece that responds to sound with illuminated color. It was created by SOFTlab, led by Michael Szivos. Waterfront Park opened in March at the foot of King Street.

"The public reception to Mirror Mirror has been so positive and we’re thankful to Michael and SOFTlab for helping build a strong foundation," said Diane Ruggiero, director of the Alexandria Office of the Arts. "We can’t wait to bring Olalekan to Alexandria for this next chapter."

To kick off the process, Jeyifous will visit Alexandria and meet residents to draw inspiration for a design. The public can meet him on Wednesday, May 22, from 7 p.m.-9 pm. in the Crow’s Nest at Blackwall Hitch, 5 Cameron Street in Alexandria. The event is free but RSVPs are encouraged.

To view his past projects, visit vigilism.com.