Glance through the glass doors of the Miller Theatre and you will see vivid, large-scale paintings pulsating with color on the lobby walls. At night the artworks glow, and passersby take selfies against the backdrop of the brightly colored Xs in repeating patterns.
Artist Maya Hayuk created the three site-specific murals for the Miller lobby over three days in October; they will remain on view throughout the spring semester. The works represent the second annual collaboration on a lobby installation between Miller and the Wallach Art Gallery.
“We serve as a front door to campus,” said Melissa Smey, executive director of Miller and Columbia’s Arts Initiative. “I love partnering with the Wallach because it’s an opportunity to enliven this space for the tens of thousands of people who pass through here each year.”
Hayuk has painted her signature massive murals all over the world in indoor and outdoor spaces, and her work has been exhibited everywhere from New York and Los Angeles to Brazil and Holland. Although known primarily as a street artist, she maintains an active studio practice in Brooklyn.
“Maya was an obvious choice for this year’s installation,” said Deborah Cullen, director and chief curator of the Wallach, “because of her affinity for painting in large architectural spaces. She has also collaborated with musicians on videos, stage sets, album covers and public art projects so she has an innate understanding of how art can intersect with music.”
“I’ve liked the interaction with the public,” added Hayuk. “These murals are very loosely patterned, and they’re made with rollers. They’re completely improvised. And I think they’re very messy, drippy and kind of sexy.”