ESIA

Kingfisher Headdresses from China

Sat May 21 2022 - Sun May 21 2023

Rare surviving examples of a fragile artistry, these headdresses and other adornments feature prized kingfisher feathers, known for their vivid turquoise-blue color.

Naughty Nymphs in the Courtyard of the Favorites

Sat Apr 23 2022 - Sat Apr 23 2022

Combining painting and performance, this program explores the relationship between sexuality and the female body on one hand, and space and architecture on the other.

Life and Afterlife in Ancient Egypt

Fri Feb 11 2022 - Tue Jan 01 2030

Experience over 3,000 years of arts from ancient Egypt in a dynamic new gallery.

Senju's Waterfalls for Chicago

Sat Nov 13 2021 - Sun Jun 26 2022

Cascades of white pigment rhythmically stream across the panels of a pair of folding screens. Under a combination of white light and UV lighting, the works evocatively express the force and motion of falling water. These enchanting painted screens are the work and a gift of Senju (born 1958), a contemporary proponent of Nihonga, traditional Japanese painting. Known for his signature Waterfall works, Senju created the panels on view at the Art Institute specifically for the museum’s Gallery 109, the space designed by architect Andō Tadao.

Onchi Kōshirō: Affection for Shapeless Things

Sat Oct 16 2021 - Mon Jan 10 2022

Onchi Kōshirō eschewed the ukiyo-e method to conceive, carve, and print his own works as part of Japan's creative print movement.

Hito Steyerl: Is the Museum a Battlefield?

Fri Oct 15 2021 - Sun Mar 13 2022

In Is the Museum a Battlefield? Hito Steyerl ponders the parallels between conflict zones and spaces where art is displayed.