Portrait – The Hendrix’s art program with Katya Valevich

We recently sat down with Katya Valevich, artist consultant of The Hendrix’s robust art program, to learn more about the selected artwork within the design of the building.

Even though The Hendrix hovers in space 42 stories tall and contains more than 450 apartments, it blends into the skyline like a stealth jet — which, when noticed, stands out as an example of contemporary urban architecture, with an impeccably fun interior designed by Woods Bagot, and art hand-picked by kv projects.

kv projects, organized by Katya Valevich, is a collective of artists and experts who come together around a single project, to advise, organize, handle, and present the exhibition of art on any scale, since the early 2010’s in the West Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.

A group of artists were selected to connect with the building in creative ways — using light, space, textures such as glass and silk, and new technologies. The artworks create a path for residents and visitors to appreciate, question, and participate in something familiar, and inherently playful.

Through art and design, we tried to create a feeling best described as “Untethered Nostalgia.” With a nod to the building’s history, present and future, the retro-elegant vibes, and the bold styles, there is even a room on the seventh floor with a Pacman neon ceiling called the Pixel Bar.

Continue scrolling for more information on the selected artwork on display throughout The Hendrix.

K Vitamins, 2022
kv projects (Jason Krugman x Dunn and Done)
Acrylic epoxy, custom software, LED.

Convergence, 2022
Sanya Sharma
Hand-woven hemp, mercerized cotton, aluminum frame.

The gentle accent sculpture suspended at the full height of the 23 foot tall lobby was woven by Sanya Sharma, a young textile artist and designer from India. Using a hand loom the size of a small automobile, Sanya’s multi-planar CONVERGENCE is a 3-D fiber art installation made entirely of hemp and cotton yarn.

A native to Jersey City, Sanya received her MFA in Textiles from Parsons School of Design. With a studious interest in seeking the intersectionality of past, present, and future generations, Sanya weaves diaphanous 3-D structures out of hemp, linen, cotton, and steel to create a calming atmosphere and offer a disconnect from immediate chaotic surroundings. Her textiles allow for a breath of stillness.

Until We Meet Again, 2022
Graham Caldwell
Concave and convex mirrors, epoxy, fabricated and welded steel.

Graham Caldwell’s studio practice explores visual perception and the way we distort what we see within multi-faceted surfaces that crumple or enhance the world around us.

Graham works with blown glass and with steel, mirrors, epoxy, and a myriad of materials that he can sculpt and weld in his studio at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Elbow Room Series, 2022
kv projects (Sergei Goloshapov)
Ink on canvas, art + technology, mixed media, abstract, sound, sumi-e.

The genesis of this series was a small ink drawing, 8.5 x 11” by SERGEI GOLOSHAPOV, art director and graphic illustrator with over three decades of practice. Named “Elbow Room” after the subjective feeling of having enough space to move around and work, it is also an homage to nostalgia for physical closeness; of the water cooler conversations that once took place in every work space; of the times as soon as an idea hits you, it is communicated through the buzz of a workspace. Sergei deploys his skills in traditional monochrome ink painting, using software to expand his work into the Elbow Room, a series of unique, hand-fished canvases.

Caviar Porcelain (two), 2022
Lana Kova
Glazed porcelain.

Lana Kova spins, sculpts and fires pottery from her Tribeca studio. After earning her Master’s degree in Economics, she moved to Paris for an international career in modeling. Self-taught in sculpture and painting through personal research, practice, and multicultural exposure, Lana honed her techniques at La Grande Chaumiere in Paris for drawing and Greenwich House Pottery in New York for ceramics.

In her artwork, Lana explores feelings of intimacy and confrontation, repetition, rhythm, and deformation. Years of experience of being a fashion model and astutely observing the design process of top fashion companies, Lana established a unique approach and a keen eye for surface treatment, detail, and proportion.

Elbow Room Series, 2022
kv projects (Sergei Goloshapov)
Mixed media on canvas.

The genesis of this series was a small ink drawing, 8.5 x 11” by SERGEI GOLOSHAPOV, art director and graphic illustrator with over three decades of practice. Named “Elbow Room” after the subjective feeling of having enough space to move around and work, it is also an homage to nostalgia for physical closeness; of the water cooler conversations that once took place in every work space; of the times as soon as an idea hits you, it is communicated through the buzz of a workspace. Sergei deploys his skills in traditional monochrome ink painting, using software to expand his work into the Elbow Room, a series of unique, hand-fished canvases.

Pixel Bar, 2022
Woods Bagot x Let There Be Neon
2022
Neon.

With its origins in the burgeoning Soho arts scene in the 70s, Let There Be Neon has been the preeminent supplier and creator of custom neon for signage and artistic applications for over 50 years. The studio was recognized as the first ever gallery dedicated to neon and has been at the forefront of neon expression, pushing boundaries and expanding neon as art. From Studio 54 to a custom neon violin bow for artist Laurie Anderson to grand scale neon street installations, Let There Be Neon has pioneered partnerships across the arts and commerce to create transformative, custom-made creations. Handcrafted by skilled artisans with expert methodology, precision, and care Let There Be Neon is the history of neon in NYC and beyond.