WPA presents a new work by DC-based artist Amber Robles-Gordon for the second installation in its South Capitol Skyscape series. For the 50-foot banner on the South Capitol Street façade of the hotel, WPA has excerpted a portion of Robles-Gordon’s new work entitled At the Altar: Dance of the Serpents. Created through her signature assemblage process combining textiles and found objects, the work takes new form using a recycled hammock as its support and foundation, representing the structural constructs of the past and the restrictive patterns of repetitive thinking.
Robles-Gordon began her At the Altar series in 2010 when she started creating installations in the form of an altar. This new work is essentially a visual extension of the artist’s personal altar.
Robles-Gordon has woven plastic snakes and sewn portions of recycled objects and elements through the structured columns of rope. The sewn fragments represent a global engagement for inner peace and a celebration and acknowledgement of cultural traditions. Hanging components represent the constant motifs that appear in Robles-Gordon’s artwork and thought processes: the use of color as well recycled textiles and fabrics. The snakes address the artist’s interest in Kundalini energy and—by extension—snakes and serpents. Robles-Gordon finds fascination in the physical and metaphoric representation of snakes and serpents throughout the world, in their positive and negative manifestations throughout multiple religions, cultures, and mythologies.
At the Altar: Dance of the Serpents conveys the artist’s awareness of both the positive and negative aspects of this energy and illuminates the balance that occurs at their intersection.
The original sculpture featured in the banner will be on view in the lounge of the Capitol Skyline Hotel from October 29 through November 28, 2014.
This project is made possible with the support of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities’ Public Art Building Communities Grant Program. Special thanks to the Capitol Skyline Hotel, Kimberly Mitchell and CDKM Consulting, and Eve Brooks/Community Benefits Coordinating Council.
South Capitol Street Facade at Capitol Skyline Hotel is located at 10 I (Eye) Street SW.
About the Artist
Amber Robles-Gordon (Howard University, M.F.A.) is a Washington, DC-based mixed media artist whose preferred medium is collage and assemblage. Her work is representational of her experiences and the paradoxes within the female experience. Robles-Gordon focuses on fusing found objects to convey her own personal memories inspired by nature, womanhood, and her belief in recycling energy and materials.
About South Capitol Skyscape
Utilizing the unique and historic façade of the Capitol Skyline Hotel, South Capitol Skyscape will present a rotating series of oversize contemporary art installations, featuring the work of both local and national artists. These commissioned works are intended to spark public discussion on art and culture and enrich the daily lives of the residents, workers, and car passengers who inhabit the world of the South Capitol Street Gateway corridor. Each of the South Capitol Skyscape artists will lead free community art making workshops at the Randall Recreation Center in conjunction with their project.
About WPA
Washington Project for the Arts (WPA) is an independent, nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization that serves as a catalyst for contemporary art. WPA supports artists at all stages of their careers and promotes contemporary art by presenting exhibitions, issues, and ideas that stimulate public dialogue on art and culture.
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