Bespoke expressions for three unique exhibitions
Working closely with MoMA's creative and curatorial teams, I led art direction for three exhibition identities—each reflecting its unique content while maintaining the museum's rigorous standards. The title walls employ specialized techniques and material treatments conceptually connected to each show's themes. These supergraphics set the tone for each exhibition, translating curatorial vision into the visitor's first impression.
Studio: MoMA Design Studio & Local Projects
Team: Stina Sawdust, Stephen Baker (Creative Direction)
Claire Corey (Production), Claire Adkisson (Project management)
Christie Zhong, Jade Wang, Jaeyoon Lee (Design)
Paulette Giguere (handpainting)
Role: Art Direction & Graphic Design
Year: 2023
Studio: MoMA Design Studio & Local Projects
Team: Stina Sawdust, Stephen Baker (Creative Direction)
Claire Corey (Production), Claire Adkisson (Project management)
Christie Zhong, Jade Wang, Jaeyoon Lee (Design)
Paulette Giguere (handpainting)
Role: Art Direction & Graphic Design
Year: 2023
Before
Technicolor:
Early color
on film
An exploration of cinema's earliest color experiments, when hand-tinted films created "special effects" for early moviegoers around 1895, as new synthetically produced dyes transformed visual mediums from postcards to magic lantern slides. The title wall features an abstract crop from the Lumière brothers' iconic Serpentine Dance—printed in black and white, then meticulously hand-tinted with vibrant yellow pigment, echoing the coloring techniques of pioneering films. The exhibition title is set in geometric typeface Drescher Grotesk BT, center-aligned in homage to the title cards of early cinema, anchoring the vibrant graphic wall.
New
Photography
2023
The first edition of MoMA's celebrated series to focus on a specific art scene: seven international artists connected to Lagos's vibrant creative community, each challenging the photograph as document through formal experimentation and personal narrative. Inspired by Lagos's unique geography at the water's edge, the identity explores the concept of undercurrents—social, political, cultural—that run through each photographer's work. The exhibition title repeats, dissolves and reappears across the wall, transitioning between visible and invisible through hand-varnishing techniques that create subtle shimmering effects across shades of grey—evoking the rippling, layered quality of water.
An-My Lê
The first exhibition to present Lê's photography alongside her multidisciplinary work in sculpture, film, and textiles—exploring her relationships between Vietnam and the United States, war and landscape, process and image. The expansive trilingual title wall reflects Lê's reach across geography and cultures. Justified typesetting with unequal spacing evokes the meandering flow of rivers, while maintaining a calm, collected presence—mirroring the photographer's precise, contemplative approach. At the entrance, a wallpaper depicts the artist at work with her antique large-format camera.