BUFFALO, N.Y. —
The Darwin Martin House has long been idolized for its clean lines, open spaces, and a destination for those disciples of architecture. Thousands of people make the pilgrimage to Buffalo each year to experience a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece.
For the next 16 months, it will also be home to a new Albright-Knox public art exhibit.
"We are installing the work of Jun Kaneko here at the Darwin Martin House," said Aaron Ortt, Public Art Curator at the Albright-Knox. "Jun Kaneko is a world-renowned artist making some of the world's largest single ceramic objects and he is an absolute master painter and ceramic artist."
These ceramic edifices adorn the lawns of the Darwin Martin House along with new landscaping that surrounds the campus, an image its architect and former inhabitants would long to see.
"Frank Lloyd Wright, Darwin, and Isabel Martin would be ecstatic to see this place as it is today because we have very faithfully recreated what was the original intent when the Martin family lived here in the early 1900s," said Mary Roberts, Executive Director of the Darwin Martin House.
Walking throughout the Martin House campus with the seven structures gives you an overwhelming sense that you’re walking through something you can’t quite put your finger on.
"Frank Lloyd Wright was very influenced by Japanese art and architecture and culture, and Jun being a Japanese artist that's living and working in Omaha, they have a similar philosophy," Ott said.
Nearly two years were spent planning and executing the installations of these towering ceramic structures. Some of which weigh over three thousand pounds. About a dozen people, large cranes and meticulous precision was required during the installation process.
Kaneko was born in Japan and is known for his ceramic large ceramic pieces, called dangos. He uses a traditional Japanese firing and glazing process, which creates the interesting shapes and vivid colors in the dangos.
The installation began on Monday and concluded on Friday.
"We've waited for years to put this in place and working with the Albright Knox has been a dream," Roberts said. "For us, having the art on the campus is just a wonderful gesture of unity with the community to say this is a community asset of people in western New York should come here and visit."
Ortt said that projects and collaborations like the one with the Darwin Martin House bring a certain richness to the community.
A richness that the public can simply walk through, without an appointment, as we’re reminded daily about all the normalcy of everyday life that is still shuttered by a pandemic that has left the community sheltered for months and longing for a reason to explore and reflect.
"Being able to bring this kind of work to a community is always humbling, it's always rewarding," Ortt said. "But I never get to do it alone, and when we find those partners who sort of understand the magnitude of what this work can mean is really important.
The exhibit will be officially unveiled on Friday, June 26, and the public can walk the Martin House grounds to enjoy artwork until October 2021.