Songs from Life

In Odili Donald Odita's new large-scale commission in MoMA's lobby, bright colors and abstract patterns create a cascading kaleidoscope. And for the first time in the artist's unfolding process, music serves as the primary source of inspiration. "Music inspires me to think through problems in my paintings," Odita has said.

Songs from Life was painted over the course of six weeks, with visitors able to see the site-specific work emerging across the walls and columns. Executed with flat acrylic latex paint, the floor-to-ceiling installation provides an immersive experience, with Odita describing its colors as expressions of freedom and change. Each painted section is anchored by a selection of songs that expand on the artist's conception of MoMA's lobby as a gathering space for people from different walks of life. "There's a sort of energy that is communal because of the way music can affect the body," Odita has said. "That's how I want to make my paintings work, too."

Organized by Ugochukwu-Smooth Nzewi, The Steve and Lisa Tananbaum Curator, Department of Painting and Sculpture, with Elizabeth Wickham, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Painting and Sculpture. Maya Taylor, Department of Exhibition Planning and Administration, and Aimee Keefer and Michele Arms, Department of Exhibition Design and Production, have collaborated closely in realizing this exhibition.

With thanks to Jenna Pirello, Alan Prazniak, Luca Bokulich, Erika Hickle, Isaac Jaegerman, Tessa O'Brien, and Will Sears.