To celebrate the renovation and re-opening of their two museums, the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, the Smithsonian’s museums of Asian Art in Washington, commissioned 59 Productions to create a spectacular public artwork to be displayed during their re-opening event IlluminAsia: A Festival of Asian Art, Food and Cultures in October 2017.
As the centrepiece of the weekend-long celebration, ‘A Perfect Harmony’ will be shown on the facade of the Freer|Sackler for thousands of spectators, free of charge, with five performances across the opening weekend. The projection-mapped artwork will trace the history of the Freer|Sackler: from Charles Lang Freer, who donated his collection of Asian and American art to the nation in 1906, to Arthur M. Sackler who established a sister museum of Asian art in the 1980s, to their international reach in the 21st century.
Inspired by Freer’s unshakeable belief that art could deepen understanding and appreciation of world cultures, and that museums form connections across time and space, A Perfect Harmony will light up the Washington night in an unmissable and empowering celebration of art and ideas.