Allison Bianco, Curious Tide, 2022, dye sublimation ceramic tile, acrylic and mahogany, PS 958, Brooklyn ​

Curious Tide is a site-specific artwork created by Allison Bianco for the lobby of the new P.S. 958, Brooklyn. The piece is inspired by the ocean and beaches on New York City’s coastlines. It features a digitally-printed tile mural of vibrant waves filled with a collection of playful and wondrous creatures, plants, animals, food and other objects influenced by local iconography. Two large, brightly colored circles made of carved, painted mahogany wood are overlaid on top of the tile. One is painted deep orange and the other is patterned. The orbs function as focal points for the mural, creating a deepened sense of space and heightening its surreal, fantastical feeling.  

Allison Bianco is a printmaker who has long been inspired by Japanese prints depicting landscapes and seascapes of Edo, which is present-day Tokyo. The waveforms in this mural are intended as a nod to the ocean patterning and design of some these timeless prints. As its title suggests, Curious Tide is Bianco’s homage to a place where imagination prevails and the impossible feels possible.