Cynthia Daignault: Valley

Cynthia Daignault: *Valley* is a large-scale installation by Baltimore-based artist Cynthia Daignault, whose practice explores “long-form painting” through interconnected, impressionistic canvases. The exhibition considers painting as a way to slow time, reflect on what should be remembered, and examine how landscapes bear witness to history.

For the ICA, Daignault has created a monumental multi-panel work depicting the view up the Merced River through Yosemite National Park’s granite valley toward the sky. The scene recalls the 19th-century photographs of Carleton Watkins and paintings of Albert Bierstadt, while also engaging with the way contemporary viewers encounter landscapes through digital images. The installation reflects on the changing and urgent relationship between people and the American landscape.

When: August 27, 2026–January 18, 2027

Venue: Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston

Location: Paul and Catherine Buttenwieser Gallery

Artist: Cynthia Daignault, born in Baltimore in 1978

Description: Daignault’s episodic paintings break down the monumental scale traditionally associated with history painting. Her work uses intimate, related canvases and a cinematic sense of unfolding narrative to consider time, memory, history, and what it means to be alive at a particular moment.

Related content: The exhibition is accompanied by an online conversation between Daignault and the exhibition’s curator.

Organizers: The exhibition is organized by Jeffrey De Blois, Mannion Family Curator, with Meghan Clare Considine, Curatorial Assistant.

Support: Support is provided by Jim Cleary and Tobias and Kristin Welo.

Tickets: Price not available