As part of its 40th anniversary programming, The Noguchi Museum is pleased to present the work of Temitayo Ogunbiyi (b. 1984), in her first museum exhibition in the United States. Featuring newly commissioned sculptures and a selection of work from throughout Ogunbiyi’s seventeen-year career, the exhibition is installed among Noguchi’s permanent installation in the first floor galleries and outdoor garden.
Ogunbiyi describes her work as “responding to and forging dialogues between global current events, anthropological histories, design, and botanical cultures.” Interested in how play can serve humanity, Ogunbiyi has been researching the life and practice of Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988) for several years, exploring the ways in which his pioneering work in open-ended, non-directive play expands the civic reach of sculpture. Building on Noguchi’s complex biography and the ways in which it manifests in his play sculpture designs, Ogunbiyi has created a site-specific, interactive sculpture for play, sculptures that can be used for music making, and an outdoor installation that features input from the greater museum community.