Long Beach, CA

Services: Consulting | Art Curation | Bespoke Design | Custom Artwork

Working with Ariel Fox Design, we created the art for the Magnolia, a modern upscale apartment complex in downtown Long Beach. This project was a large undertaking with Visual  Contrast creating original art for all the amenity spaces in the building in addition to the lobby, elevator lobbies, and the corridors. Inspired by crafted eclectic design and the urban art scene of Long Beach, we were tasked with curating a collection to tell a cohesive story, while including a variety of mediums and a color scheme that complements the interior design. The building has eight floors, so the art is meant to move the residents through the space, giving directional hints and helping with wayfinding. In addition, many of the spaces had large walls to fill with art so we would need to either create large pieces or find ways to fill the blank spaces. AFD requested that the namesake of the building, the magnolia flower, be represented in the art package to tie the whole project together. 

Employing unconventional materials, we created an art package for this project that incorporated silkscreens, woven yarn, resin, painting, textiles, collage, and textural works. We focused on mixed media to give variety to the space and make each area memorable, while creating intrigue with the unique materials and mediums. To fill the large spaces, we curated a few themed gallery walls in addition to scaling up some of our signature artworks. We created a custom diptych of a magnolia flower in a deep red colorway to embody the theme of the building and incorporate it into the design in a subtle way. For the corridor art, we silkscreened over 20 different designs in varying color combinations to make each corridor unique and help with wayfinding in the building, in addition to having a different art collection in each elevator lobby to distinguish each floor. With a focus on bright color and three-dimensionality, we were able to deliver an art collection that is original, unique, and impactful, elevating the design of the Magnolia.