During my visit to Toronto for the Simone Pérèle SS2017 lingerie preview, I took a little time before my train back to Ottawa to finally get to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) to check out the Chihuly: From Sand. From Fire. Comes Beauty exhibit. I had been dying to see the Chihuly exhibit for months, but my trips to Toronto are usually too quick or too jam-packed to take the time for a good, long visit to the ROM.
I fell in love with Chihuly during my first trip to Seattle. My brother-in-law took us to the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington. I was blown away by the many interior and exterior Chihuly installations there. Gorgeous, organic and colourful – they were a feast for the eyes. I bought a coffee table book and leaf through it frequently, wondering how on Earth humans create objects that are so beautiful.
After a nice lunch at gorgeous Toronto vegan restaurant, Planta with my sister Erika, I suggested that we cross the street, visit the ROM and see this acclaimed exhibit. My sister – a true free spirit, art lover (like her big sis – we took art history together) and always down for anything, heartily concurred.
We walked through the exhibit, mouth agape. The installations defied gravity, were veritable colour explosions and I’ve never seen an artist recreate sea-like formations so beautifully. In addition, there were several glass installations inspired by the forest, Native American art and the galaxy. Picture the first installation – a row boat filled with spheres that looked like planets. A row boat filled with Jupiters, Mercurys, Venuses and the like. Erika and I joined the crowd in front of this installation and stared awe.
The best part of the exhibit was just spending time with my sister. I loved watching her walk around totally bewildered. I loved listening to her say “Why have I not seen this before???”, “How does he do that?” and “WHOAAAAAA!” The exhibit also featured huge bean bag chairs in a separate room where you could lay down and take in the beautiful Chihuly glass ceiling. We took up residence in the room, laying flat on our backs enjoying this feast for the eyes. We soon started cracking jokes and giggling like goofs. My heart swelled.
My sisters truly are my heart, and over the past year, I feel I see them a lot less than usual. They are growing up, forging their own paths and living their lives to the fullest. Me, a true mother hen, is simultaneously proud and sad. While I’m thrilled for them, a huge part of me wants them to stay “little sisters” forever. Erika in particular has been through a bit of a rough 2016, but I’m so proud at how she handled it and ended the year truly on top – with a new job and an excellent outlook on her life. She has such great plans – I’m so thrilled for her. SIGH. Major sister love!
Well, enough gushing. Here are some pics from my favourite exhibit of all time.
I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. I implore you to check out Chihuly’s work if it ever comes to your city. Too stunning to miss.
Dominique is a Canadian-based fashion and beauty influencer with a strong voice in Ottawa’s black community. Since launching her blog Style Domination in 2015, she has amassed a global fanbase. Dominique shares her life through beautiful imagery and compelling story-telling that speaks to her fans on a personal level. She’s been featured in The Guardian, Flare, The Kit and Cityline. She also hosts events for Dress for Success, the Gem Conference, and has been named a United Way Person 2 Know for the past three years.
Dominique, I wanted to move in and live with the glass sculptures. Thank you for sharing your experience….it was one I will never forget. I was fascinated by how Chihuly created the sculptures and wondered how they transported the pieces…each one so delicate. It was a day I will always remember for several reasons….I took my new book Unconform on tour when I was in Toronto and brought it with me to the exhibition. I met several people and took photos of them with the book, including two ladies from The Red Hat Society, who were celebrating a birthday. I was able to gift the birthday girl with a copy of my book. I think it was me who received the greatest gift that day; it sounds like there were a lot of gifts there for you too.
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Kathie! What a thoughtful comment! I loved the exhibit so much. As we wandered around, my heart swelled at how beautiful the sculptures were. I sometimes can’t get over how talented us little humans can be. I’m so thrilled that you went and took your book, and brought others joy. You are sooo good at that! As if you met a few people from the Red Hat Society! I remember having lunch at the Black Dog Restaurant in Manotick and the main dining room was overtaken with one of their meet-ups. It looked so fun!
I love all the exhibits and every pic is so beautiful. I literally staring at them.Really great pics.
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Thank you so much! That’s how I felt at the exhibit – totally enthralled.
This is such a cool museum! Thanks for sharing I will definitely have to put it on the list to visit!
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The ROM is definitely a beautiful and interesting museum. Even the architecture is amazing – a mix of Victorian and very modern glass structures!