Hennessy’s traveling show of art and history has finally reached NYC. Unfortunately it’ll only be staying for three short days (July 8-10) so catch it while you can.
The Knockturnal got an early-morning sneak peek of the show today through a tour led by curator Herve Mikaeloff and Hennessy heritage expert Rafael Gerard. The tour began with a room-encompassing artwork by Finland based artist Charles Sandison. Both the floor and the ceiling are mirrored and all walls are alive with an ever-changing digital projection that mimics the fluidity of Hennessy liquor. This is an engaging and mesmerizing work that sets the tone for the rest of the show.
The tour continued into a collection of historic documents and photographs that together paint a portrait of the rich history of the Hennessy brand. The exhibit includes artwork by Tony Oursler, Constance Guissset, Pierrick Sorin and Anton Corbijn. Hennessy commissioned Corbijn to photograph a series of portraits of people who he feels symbolize the Hennessy identity. This series of portraits shows an insightful look into Hennessy’s culturally diverse past and celebrates that diversity- something Hennessey aimed to do with its 250 tour.
The NYC stop on the tour features a dance performance that was choreographed by Jonah Baker and performed by New York-based Julliard dancers. The dance performance is hyper-modern as is much of the other art of the show and it creates a stark contrast with the historic nature of the archival documents that are featured. This juxtaposition makes for an inviting and innovative show that celebrates artistic and cultural diversity. The show is free and spaces can be reserved here.
