New Trend: Mall Lobbies Used as an Exhibition Space for Art Installations

Abstract

We find a repeated element in the design of shopping centers of the 21st century –the lobby. It is an empty interior space that has several floors and is dominated by galleries. It is also zenithally illuminated. It is a focus of attention in the mall. Users remember it positively and frequent it much more than other areas of the mall. Quite recently, there is a new trend around the world that is increasing the interest in these spaces: their usage as temporary exhibits of large hanging artworks. Thus, the mall regenerates and redeems itself. It is for a reason that these spaces are similar to such exhibition spaces as the lobby of New York’s iconic Guggenheim Museum, or the Turbine Hall of London’s Tate Modern.