There’s something truly special happening in our city’s charming Foggy Bottom neighborhood right now, and if you’re in DC or nearby, you absolutely need to check it out. The 9th edition of the Arts in Foggy Bottom Outdoor Sculpture Biennial, titled Homeland | Hostland, is an open-air art experience that invites you to discover thought-provoking contemporary sculptures nestled amongst historic homes and vibrant gardens.
Curated by Fabiola R. Delgado, this 2025 Biennial features 14 regional and national artists and artist collectives. Homeland | Hostland, encourages us to reflect on the ever-shifting concepts of migration, place, welcoming, and belonging. As Fabiola R. Delgado eloquently puts it, “The idea of home often carries connotations of safety and comfort, although it isn’t always the case… In this fluid dynamic, the act of hosting becomes a form of care, a reframing of space, and a testament to the ever-evolving nature of shelter and kinship. Ultimately, home becomes less about a fixed place and more about the network of supportive relationships that develop within a caring community.”
As an art historian, I always find immense joy in seeing how contemporary artists engage with, respond to, and reinterpret visual languages from the past. Walking through the Homeland | Hostland exhibition, I had a fantastic time playing a mental game of “art history detective,” discovering fascinating visual echoes of artworks from different periods and movements. It’s important to note that these connections are deeply personal, largely based on visual similarities and formal elements that resonate with me. They aren’t necessarily what the artists themselves had in mind when creating their incredible works, but rather, a testament to how art can spark diverse interpretations and dialogues across time.
Here are just a few pieces that sparked these connections for me:
Annie Broderick’s ‘Marianne’: A Nod to Materiality
This striking, vibrant red sculpture by Annie Broderick immediately brought to mind the Italian artist Alberto Burri. Burri, famous for his post-war works like the Sacchi (sacks) and Combustione (combustion) series, redefined painting by emphasizing the raw materiality and texture of his chosen surfaces. Like Burri, Broderick focuses intensely on the manipulated surface, creating deep folds and undulations that give the material a powerful, almost organic presence. While Burri often explored themes of trauma and degradation, Broderick’s glossy, intense red piece celebrates the material’s vitality and sculptural form in a more vibrant, contemporary light.
Gerardo Camargo’s ‘Circles Growing’: Echoes of Orphism
The intricate, open-form bamboo sculpture by Gerardo Camargo, with its recurring circular and curvilinear motifs encompassing a tree, transported me straight to the rhythmic abstractions of Sonia Delaunay. Delaunay, a pioneer of Orphism, sought to evoke movement and harmony through the interplay of contrasting colors and geometric forms. While Camargo’s work uses the natural material of bamboo rather than Delaunay’s bold colors, the dynamic arrangement of lines and shapes, particularly the prominent circles, creates a similar visual rhythm and a sense of continuous flow. Both artists demonstrate how pure form can generate profound visual energy.
IceBox Collective’s Rhinoceros: A Fifteenth-Century Revival
This incredible piece by the IceBox Collective, titled Nomadic House Project: La Casa de Benito featuring a pink rhinoceros within a house-like frame, sent me back to 1515 and the iconic woodcut by Albrecht Dürer, often referred to as “Dürer’s Rhinoceros.” Dürer’s print, created without ever seeing a live rhino, was filled with fantastical, armor-like details that became the standard European depiction for centuries. The IceBox Collective’s rhino clearly adopts these distinctive Dürer-esque features – the segmented body, the stylized legs, and that prominent, almost surreal single eye. It’s a brilliant contemporary reinterpretation that speaks to the enduring power of art to shape perception and how historical imagery continues to inspire new narratives about belonging and containment.
Brandon Hill’s ‘Big Plant 3’: The Impossible Bouquet Meets Land Art
Brandon Hill’s vibrant, colorful sculptural elements emerging from a garden bed, interspersed with real irises and plants, playfully made me think of two seemingly disparate art historical concepts. Firstly, the Dutch Golden Age still life paintings, particularly those “impossible bouquets” where artists combined flowers that would never bloom simultaneously, often laden with symbolism. Hill’s piece creates a contemporary “impossible bouquet,” juxtaposing permanent, artificial blooms with ephemeral, living ones, highlighting the tension between artifice and nature. Secondly, its integration directly into the landscape, modifying and interacting with the natural environment, firmly places it within the realm of Land Art, albeit on a more intimate and accessible scale.
Rose Jaffe’s ‘Bonding’: A Celebration of Form and Movement
Finally, the exuberantly colorful, stacked figures by Rose Jaffe immediately brought to mind the dynamic and simplified human forms of Henri Matisse’s La Danse and the bold, celebratory “Nanas” of Niki de Saint Phalle. Like Matisse, Jaffe uses simplified figures and vibrant, unmodulated colors to convey a powerful sense of movement, joy, and communal energy. And much like Saint Phalle’s whimsical Nanas, Jaffe’s figures are playful, optimistic, and abstractly celebrate the human form with a bold, approachable spirit. It’s a truly uplifting piece that embodies a shared artistic celebration of life.
These are just a few of the many compelling artworks on display in the Homeland | Hostland Biennial. Each piece offers a unique perspective on themes that resonate deeply in our changing world. I highly encourage you to take a walk through Foggy Bottom, engage with these thought-provoking sculptures, and perhaps even find your own art historical connections!
The Foggy Bottom Biennial is a free, open-air exhibition, perfect for a sunny day stroll. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience world-class art right here in our community. The Foggy Bottom Outdoor Sculpture Biennial is open until October 25, 2025.
