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CINCINNATI— The Cincinnati Art Museum and the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company present artist Anila Quayyum Agha’s lighted art installation Alhambra Nights as part of BLINK, the four-day light and art event, October 12–15.

This pop-up exhibition, located inside the Bridgeland Performance Studio on the second floor of The Otto M. Budig Theater, features five laser-cut tetrahedrons lit from within to create an immersive installation. Showcased in the theater’s corner windows, this work will be a shining beacon visible from the BLINK-activated Washington Park across the street.

Agha creates immersive installations by manipulating light. In Alhambra Nights, light emanates from the center of five sculptural forms, creating shadows that intersect and overlap. The geometric and floral patterns of the works are inspired by Islamic architectural design and reference the artist’s formative years in Pakistan, her recent travels to the Alhambra Palace in Spain, as well as her experience of living in the United States, away from her extended family and friends.

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Otto M. Budig Theater, located at 12th and Elm streets, opened in September. During BLINK it is presenting several showings of Dracula and patrons will be able to view Alhambra Nights from inside the building.

Cincinnati Art Museum educators will be present at Washington Park near the theater during the evenings of BLINK to answer questions about the Agha installation. Cincinnati Art Museum coordinated the installation within the theater and is a BLINK sponsor.

This pop-up exhibition and collaboration between The Cincinnati Art Museum and the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is supported by the loan of the artworks from Aicon Gallery. The New York-based gallery provides a vital platform for Modern and Contemporary art from South Asia and the Middle East.

This will be the second work by the artist featured in Cincinnati. All the Flowers Are for Me (Red) has been on view at the Cincinnati Art Museum since June and was the first purchase from the museum’s Alice Bimel Endowment for Asian Art. This lighted five-foot laser-cut steel cube suspended from the ceiling inside the museum’s Schiff Gallery will remain on view until the conclusion of BLINK.

Agha was named the recipient of Cincinnati Art Museum’s 2017 Schiele Prize. Her light-based installations have been exhibited nationally and internationally in more than 20 solo shows and 50 group shows. She currently resides and works out of Indianapolis.

About the Cincinnati Art Museum
The Cincinnati Art Museum is supported by the generosity of individuals and businesses that give annually to ArtsWave. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund the Cincinnati Art Museum with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. The Cincinnati Art Museum gratefully acknowledges operating support from the City of Cincinnati, as well as our members.

General admission to the Cincinnati Art Museum is always free. The museum is open Tuesday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. with extended Thursday hours until 8 p.m. cincinnatiartmuseum.org.

About Cincinnati Shakespeare Company:

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is a professional theatre company dedicated to bringing Shakespeare and the classics to life for audiences of all ages. In the summer of 2017, the theater relocated to the Otto M. Budig Theater, a brand new facility in OTR. CSC’s repertoire is made up of the works of William Shakespeare, literary adaptations, and contemporary classics. CSC performs on a Small Professional Theatre contract with Actors’ Equity Association. Cincinnati Shakespeare is a member of the Theater Communications Group and the Shakespeare Theater Association. Each year, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Education and Outreach Programs reach over 50,000 young people and underserved community members each season by taking Shakespeare into schools, parks, community centers and by hosting educational matinees of mainstage productions. In 2015, CSC was proud to become one of the first five theaters in the United States to "Complete the Canon" by producing all 38 plays by William Shakespeare. CSC is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is proud to be Cincinnati’s stage for the classics!

About The 2017-2018 Season:

This season is funded by ArtsWave and is generously sponsored by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company receives operating support from The Ohio Arts Council, the Shubert Foundation and is supported. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program/organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Production dates and information on the season are available online at www.cincyshakes.com.

The National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest presents Shakespeare in American Communities. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company was one of 40 professional theater companies selected to participate in bringing the finest productions of Shakespeare to middle- and high-school students in communities across the United States.

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