Boston Globe: Diana Thater, The ICA has arrived in Eastie. Here's your first look inside.

Diana Thater

July 4 - October 8, 2018

ICA Boston, The Watershed

25 Harbor Shore Drive, Boston, MA 02210

Since the Institute of Contemporary Art moved to the Seaport District, in 2006, its director, Jill Medvedow, has gazed out her museum windows mulling over how to artistically engage Boston Harbor, and how to reach across the water to East Boston.

On July 4, the ICA will open a new exhibition space there, the Watershed, in Boston Harbor Shipyard and Marina. Museum admission will include a water taxi across the harbor. Admission to the Watershed is free, regardless of whether you’ve visited the ICA. This year, it will be open through Oct. 8. In the future, exhibitions will be on view from May to October.

The 15,000-square-foot venue consists of a large gallery for immersive installations, a smaller one spotlighting the history of East Boston, and a gathering place for community and educational projects. The first installation features work by video artist Diana Thater.

Thater, whose art explores the natural world’s peril in the face of human enterprise, often makes site-specific art that grapples with unusual spaces. Her largest work here, “Delphine,” engages the architecture and ties right to the water.

The piece features four large video projections of dolphins swimming undersea. The images slide hypnotically over walls and floor, encompassing viewers. A magenta sun laced with blue glows on a video wall. It’s all purposely disorienting, confounding perceptions of space and time. But with Boston Harbor just out the back door, it’s also right at home.

by Cate McQuaid

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Additional Articles:

New York Times, In an East Boston Shipyard, a Fresh Idea for Art

WBUR, A First Look Inside the New ICA Watershed in East Boston

Boston Magazine, Here's a Look Inside the ICA's New East Boston Location, The Watershed

ART NEWS, ' An Important and Perfect Spot'