From high-tech photography on ancient Egypt to the joys of zooming in on a large mural, GBH Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen talks through Boston’s arts and culture events. Morning edition This week on Arts.
It is on display now through October 2, 2022 at the Sowa Power Station in Boston
‘Beyond King Tut’ is having its world premiere in Boston., Commemorating the 100th anniversary of Howard Carter’s discovery of King Tut’s tomb in 1922. From Van Gogh to Frida Kahlo, many immersive experiences have sprung up in the region recently, and Bowen says this one is different. “This is from the National Geographic Archives, so it has a lot of the museum experience, there’s a narrative and a story being told.
This is an exhibition that doubles as time travel, taking people back more than 3,000 years to Egypt’s 18th Dynasty. “You walk into this big room, which is an amazing experience,” Bowen said. “Tut moves from this earthly realm to the afterlife and imagines the beliefs of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs about what it means to move forward.”
Noting that these immersive experiences are gaining traction in the arts and culture world, Bowen says it’s more than just a fad. “It’s a viable trend. Nothing can replace the experience of a real museum and seeing art up close, but this it is. participation. If you can’t go to the cemetery, this is a great way to do it. “
Beyond King Tut / Beyond King Tut
It is currently on display at Dewey Square in Boston through May 2023.
Bowen describes artist and Roxbury native Rob “Problack” Gibbs as a “mural guy.” Gibbs’ large-scale works include the recent “Breath of Life” series. “He’s a man who is writing the city with huge paintings that reflect great joy,” says Bowen Gibbs.
Gibbs’ most recent work, “Breathe Life” on Rose Kennedy Greenway at Dewey Square, illuminates the tunnel ventilation structure. Every year the building gets a new mural by a different artist. This year, however, it is the first time that a local artist has been given this commission. It’s also a first for a black man.
Bowen said the most interesting thing about this mural is how much it means to Gibbs’ daughter, Bobbi Lauren, who is now four years old. “That’s his purpose. He wants black and brown kids to grow up in this town and they think that’s perfectly normal. It’s normal to see yourself on the wall.”
Jacob Garcia, GBH News
