Foundation of a Community (Exhibition) Christina Lihan

Iconic Architecture of Fort Lauderdale

On view Wednesday, September 27 - Saturday, October 21, 2023. "Foundation of a Community: Iconic Architecture of Fort Lauderdale" is a solo exhibition by local sculptor Christina Lihan.

An opening reception will be held Wednesday, September 27, 5-8 pm. RSVP here. 

Foundation of a Community: Iconic Architecture of Fort Lauderdale 

"A sense of history is fundamental to understanding human experience. We can preserve and share material from our community's past, so that present and future generations can comprehend more fully their predecessors, their community and themselves." (History Fort Lauderdale's mission statement.)

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This exhibitions celebrates the important historical buildings of this city, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In it, Christina Lihan hopes to enlighten, educate and spark an interest in our community. Christina Lihan highlights our "vernacular" style which saw its boom in the 1950s and 1960s, known as Mid-century Modern, with a South Florida twist. Through Lihan's paper sculpture, she has created unique pieces representing iconic landmarks of the city. Each piece tells a story, told by artistic eye, for the viewer to observe and enjoy. 

Christina Lihan is including pieces that expounds her artistic process and vision for future possible projects. Lihan's objective in this exhibition is for the viewer to take away a need to preserve our architectural heritage, and to inform on the significance of architectural preservation.  

This exhibition is made possible by The Broward County Cultural Division. From the Cultural Division I was awarded an Artists Support Grant to be able to create these artworks and have this exhibition in the Broward County Main Library, Fort Lauderdale, FL. 

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Using paper as her medium, Florida-based sculptor Christina Lihan creates intricate artworks by hand-cutting, folding, scoring and carving layers of paper. All white, shadow and light become characters in the pieces: whether it is light filtering through suspended compositions or lit from below to enhance shadow and form in a recent installation. Labor intensive, her process is meditative and one of discovery for herself as well as the viewer. Her work employs the language and metaphors of architecture. An aesthetic and conceptual discussion is carried on through a subtle and rigorous understanding of these elements, as well as introducing questions from an environmental justice perspective.

She is educated with a B.S. in Architecture from the University of Virginia and a Masters in Architecture from Columbia University. This education, and practicing as an architect inspire her forms, composition, technique and illusion of depth. Utilizing perspective and scale, she creates a sense of place in her pieces. Her work is influenced by living and working in Italy, Paris, London, San Francisco and New York City.

Ms. Lihan was recently awarded a commission for eight large sculptures for a new hotel in central London. Solo exhibitions include the Citicorp Center in NYC, the Palm Beach Preservation Foundation and several locations in South Florida. She was awarded site specific installations at the Flatiron building in NYC and a showroom in downtown Chicago. She has been part of group exhibitions internationally in Shanghai, Tel Aviv and Moscow, and Atlanta, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Chicago stateside.

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