NYCBallet Announces Art Series Featuring Jihan Zencirli; Tickets On Sale Now

New York and Los Angeles Based Artist Jihan Zencirli The " Balloon Genius " Also Known As Geronimo To Create Large Scale Installations Featuring More than 200,000 Balloons Displayed on the Façade and Interior of the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center Throughout New York City Ballet's 2018 Winter Season January 23 through March 4 Single Tickets for Three Special Art Series Performances To Go on Sale at Noon on Friday, January 5 All Tickets $ 30 and Audience Members Attending the Art Series Performances Will Each Receive a Limited - Edition Commemorative Takeaway Created by Zencirli New York City Ballet will present the sixth installment of its acclaimed Art Series initiative during the Company's 2018 Winter Season.

Launched in 2013, New York City Ballet's Art Series features annual collaborations between NYCB and contemporary visual artists who create original works for exhibition at the Company's home, the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. For the sixth anniversary of Art Series, NYCB has commissioned an installation from Jihan Zencirli, also known as Geronimo, who is known for her grand - scale public art projects made entirely of balloons.

Zencirli will use more than 200,000 balloons to create a large - scale installation designed specifically for the Promenade of the David H. Koch Theater, as well as a site - specific work on the façade of the theater overlooking the Lincoln Center Plaza. La Weekly calls Zencirli a " Balloon Genius " and when receiving the 2017 Edge Award for emerging talent from the L.A. Design Festival, the citation stated that " Jihan Zencrili uses balloons to create arguably the most recognizable public art installations in the country ... Her mission as an artist is simple : to delight people. "

Zencirli's recent projects have included installations at the David and Gladys Wright House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, in Phoenix ; the Broad Museum in Los Angeles ; and a surprise installation at Hollywood Sunset Free Clinic, as well as projects for a range of clients including Squarespace, Amazon, and Kanye West. For NYCB's 2018 Art Series, the balloons will be hand - made by artisans in Japan, as well as by an American company that has been part of the industry for a century. Zencirli, who has been based in Los Angeles since 2011 and recently opened a second studio in Manhattan's Chinatown, has created installations around the world.

Using post consumer waste plastic and latex, her designs are eco - friendly. As she uses air to inflate the balloons, her installations are meant to reflect the passage of time as they change in accordance with the elements. " Rooted in my work is this reminder that you will only have this experience at this particular time, " she says. " You're here, you're seeing it, you're alive. "

Zencirli's NYCB Art Series installation will be on display at the David H. Koch Theater from Tuesday, January 23 through Sunday, March 4 during all of NYCB's 2018 Winter Season performances.

NYCB will also host free, open hours for the general public to view the exhibition on the following dates : Saturday, February 17 through Sunday, February 25 - Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon ; Sundays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. ; and Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

In addition, NYCB will hold three special Art Series performances, which will take place on Friday, January 26 at 8 p.m. ; Friday, February 2 at 8 p.m. ; and Saturday, February 24 at 8 p.m. All single tickets for these three Art Series performances are priced at just $ 30 and will go on sale at noon on Friday, January 5 at nycballet.com, or by calling 212 - 496 - 0600.

Each Art Series performance will be followed by a post - performance party on the theater's Promenade open to all audience members, each of whom will receive a special limited - edition takeaway created by Zencirli to commemorate the NYCB Art Series collaboration.

Launched in 2013, NYCB Art Series was designed to produce annual collaborations between contemporary visual artists and New York City Ballet in an effort to showcase and celebrate the visual arts during NYCB performances at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. The first five installments of Art Series have featured acclaimed installations by FAILE ( 2013 ), JR ( 2014 ), Dustin Yellin ( 2015 ), Marcel Dzama ( 2016 ), and Santtu Mustonen ( 2017 ). Through the use of non - traditional marketing, social media engagement, and specially priced tickets, the NYCB Art Series was also conceived to engage audiences new to NYCB, as well as to cross pollinate NYCB's existing fans with those of the commissioned artists. During its first four years, Art Series has introduced tens of thousands of new patrons to New York City Ballet, helping to change the Company's demographic make - up with a 12 % increase in audience members under the age of 35.

In addition to NYCB's unparalleled history of commissioning new work from numerous composers and choreographers, the Company also has a long tradition of working with visual artists such as Isamu Noguchi, Andy Warhol, Julian Schnabel, Francesco Clemente, Helen Frankenthaler, Roy Lichtenstein, Keith Haring, Santiago Calatrava, Per Kirkeby, and others, all of whom have created artworks and other visual elements for NYCB performances.

The lobby of the David H. Koch Theater, which was built for NYCB and opened at Lincoln Center in 1964, also features a permanent collection that includes several landmark works of art, including Jasper Johns ' Numbers, Lee Bontecou's Untitled Relief, and Elie Nadelman's Two Female Nudes and Two Circus Women. To learn more about New York City Ballet, or to purchase tickets for any performance, visit nycballet.com, or call 212 - 496 - 0600. The David H. Koch Theater is located at Lincoln Center, Columbus Avenue and West 63rd Street.

NEW YORK CITY BALLET is one of the foremost dance companies in the world, with a roster of more than 90 dancers and an unparalleled repertory of modern masterpieces. The Company was founded in 1948 by the legendary choreographer George Balanchine and arts patron Lincoln Kirstein, and quickly became world - renowned for its contemporary style and a repertory of original ballets that has forever changed the face of classical dance.

For more information visit nycballet.com. The 2018 Art Series and Access Evenings are supported by generous grants from the Howard Gilman Foundation and Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation. The Travelers Companies, Inc. is the Global Sponsor of New York City Ballet.