Isa Melsheimer

This group of works by Isa Melsheimer (b. 1968, Neuss) was created in 2011, for an exhibition at Mudam. They play homage to the work of architect Ieoh Ming Pei (b. 1917, Canton – d. 2019, New York) and specifically celebrate his projects for the East Wing of the National Gallery in Washington, DC (Gouache no. 281, 1978), the helical staircase in the Mudam (Gouache no. 282, 2006) and the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art in Ithaca, New York (Gouache no. 284, 1973). Other details, such as the grey crane (a symbol of longevity and wisdom in ancient China) and the hyperboloid forms made with silver-plated wire (which appear to take flight like a crane) provide additional references to Pei and his work, in particular the (unrealised) Hyperboloid Tower for New York designed in 1956. The installation Plywood Palace takes the form of the Hancock Tower (1976) in Boston, Massachusetts, designed by Henry N. Cobb of the firm I.M Pei & Partners. The building was renamed the Plywood Palace after its glass walls were knocked out by a strong wind and replaced by plywood.