Internationally recognized multimedia artist Paola Pivi transformed the lobby at ARIA Resort & Casino into a wonderland of neon-colored baby polar bears on display throughout the fall.
Guests are transported out of the realm of the ordinary upon encountering Pivi’s installation featuring 51 vibrant baby bears that frolic, yoga pose and even hang suspended in mid-air in spirited fashion. The bears, flocked in fluorescent feathers, highlight Pivi’s ability to create human and animal connection in a playful manner while drawing attention to the reality of polar bears losing their natural habitat.
Born in Milan, Pivi has taken up residency around the world from India to her current home in Anchorage, Alaska. Known for challenging perceived limits of possibilities, Pivi’s work has been featured in esteemed public collections such as the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Guggenheim Museum in New York City and the Maxxi Museum in Rome.
“I have lived in Alaska since 2006, I felt the spirit of the bear, I made sculptures of large polar bears covered in fluorescent feathers for many years and when I became a mother myself, and my life was invaded by the child universe of colorful small things, I had the vision of the flock of many baby polar bears,” Pivi said.
Pivi’s installation at ARIA creates a vibrant photo backdrop that takes viewers into a miraculous and charming fairytale that invokes wonder, respect and empathy in equal measure.
“The lobby architecture and the lobby concept, the center of arrival, like the heart of the hotel, made me think of a monumental and colorful installation, also focused on itself being gathered around a center from which energy springs around,” Pivi said.
The artwork was exhibited previously at Perrotin in New York. The title “We are the baby gang” was created by Karma Culture Brothers.
“In this new iteration many baby bears are suspended in circus mode, probably inspired by Las Vegas,” Pivi said.
