LAX'S TERMINAL 1 SPRING 2023 ART ROTATION EXPLORES THEMES OF IDENTITY, HISTORY AND NATURE
(Los Angeles) As the spring travel season begins at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), a new presentation of works by seven artists in Terminal 1 provides guests with the opportunity to enjoy inspiring culture as a part of their best-in-class travel experience.
Presented by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), in partnership with the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), Terminal 1’s art program showcases works from a diverse group of artists in a variety of mediums to demonstrate a broad range of artistic expression from Greater Los Angeles and beyond.
“LAX is thrilled to see a strong return to travel this year and the airport’s Art Program has a wonderful selection of exhibitions on view to welcome passengers and enhance their travel experience,” said LAX Art Program Director Sarah Cifarelli. “The six exhibitions and permanent sculpture on view in Terminal 1 feature a wide variety of media including printmaking, photography, painting, sculpture and video art, so guests can experience many different art forms and themes during their visit.”
Terminal 1, Connector Hallway, Departures
Wonderland II by Peter Wu+
Wonderland II by Peter Wu+ explores concepts of belonging and displacement through speculative fiction, a category that includes science fiction and fantasy genres. The exhibition features a series of digital prints depicting a virtual world created by Wu+, as well as an immersive arrangement of screens and projection allowing the viewer to experience this imaginative world in video format. Wonderland II is inspired by a dream the artist had in 1997, leading him to connect his visions of a mythical, deserted castle to a larger narrative reflecting the desires and doubts of many in the Asian diaspora.
In his videos and prints, Wu+’s abandoned castles feature a series of digitally realized sculptures and installations that consider identity, assimilation, and displacement. Through the use of avatars and symbols, Wu+ transports the viewer to a dreamlike world to encourage their own personal discovery, and, ultimately, to define what belonging means to them.
"Wonderland II" will be on view for ticketed passengers until winter of 2023.
Terminal 1, On View: Five Exhibitions and One Public Art Installation
Opening by Tofer Chin is a site-specific mural inspired by the abundant, transformative light that is cast throughout Los Angeles. With its placement in a light-filled lobby, viewers may observe how the mood of this mural changes throughout the day, creating a space to contemplate rigidity versus fluidity.
On view in Terminal 1 extension lobby, pre-security departures level until 2026.
Floating Lady IV by Tony DeLap is an abstract, illusionary sculpture that challenges the viewer’s perception of form. Created from a Corten steel column that is bisected by a spine of clear acrylic, the 11-foot-tall artwork highlights DeLap’s facility with geometric shapes and life-long interest in magic, as the upper portion of the column appears to mysteriously float atop the lower segment. The sculpture was originally installed outdoors, then moved inside to the original portion of Terminal 1 in 1984. Today, it welcomes passengers to Terminal 1’s extension, providing a connection between the airport’s past and present.
On view in Terminal 1 post-security departures level permanently.
Technicolor Pandemonium by Renée A. Fox is a site-specific mural that depicts the boisterous wild green parrots native to Mexico and Central and South America and seen locally in Los Angeles. Like many beloved icons of L.A.’s natural landscape, these birds originated from other places and adapted to L.A.’s urban landscape. Fox’s practice is informed by our relationship to nature and strives to inspire positive change.
On view in Terminal 1 post-security departures level permanently.
Your Body Is a Space That Sees by Lia Halloran pays homage to 19th and early 20th-century women astronomers and their discoveries through monumental cyanotypes, one of the oldest photographic printing processes. The exhibition also features historical photographs of the pioneering astronomers alongside Halloran’s work to provide further contextualization.
On view in Terminal 1, Gate 9, post-security departures level until fall 2023.
Window Seat by Susan Logoreci includes four original paintings depicting famous Los Angeles landmarks Dodger Stadium, the Hollywood Bowl, Griffith Observatory and Tower Records, as well as a vinyl mural of Santa Monica. The organic, handmade aesthetic of Logoreci’s work gives viewers a new perspective on their city and the chance to see it as an outgrowth of our human nature: a large, ongoing project, built by many, and shared by all.
On view in Terminal 1, Gate 9, post-security departures level until fall 2023.
LA Rhapsody – Super Moon / Opus No.1 by Karchi Perlmann is a monumental panoramic photographic installation depicting Los Angeles during a full moon. Inspired by the first known panorama – painted by Robert Baker who immortalized the landscape of Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1787 – the work includes a soundscape of ambient recordings from Los Angeles that creates a multi-sensory portrait of the city.
On view in Terminal 1 connector hallway, post-security departures level until summer of 2023.
Media Access
Members of the media who wish to visit art located beyond the airport's security screening area may contact LAX Public Relations by emailing laxpr@lawa.org.
Self(ie) Guided Tours
Airport guests are invited to visit artwork created by local students and alumni from Otis College of Art and Design and Woodbury University in collaboration with the LAX Guest Services Division. The work is located in the pre-security screening areas of Terminals 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7, and guests are encouraged to start their self-guided tour at the Theme Building and continue on the mile-long route to view all nine works of art. Displayed on large walls, the artwork creates opportunities for guests to take selfies to share on social media using #LAXSelfieGuidedTour. For more information on how to take a self-guided tour click here.
LAX, the sixth-busiest airport in the world serving nearly 66 million guests in 2022, is owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a proprietary, revenue-generating department of the City of Los Angeles that also governs Van Nuys Airport (VNY). As the international gateway to the Southern California region, LAX and its partners are dedicated to meeting global airport standards for customer satisfaction, safety, regional economic leadership, organizational performance and sustainability.
To better serve the millions of domestic and international guests that travel through LAX each year, the airport is undergoing a multi-billion-dollar capital improvement program to modernize its entire campus. Initiatives underway include an Automated People Mover, a Consolidated Rental Car Facility and two projects that will each add over one million square feet to the airport's existing property: Terminal 9 and Concourse 0. For more information about LAX, its transformation and its environmental, social and local workforce commitments, please visit flylax.com. Follow LAX on X (formally Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.
As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request.