Temporary Art Installation at Santa Monica Boulevard Median and Doheny Drive

On View through January 31, 2027

Photo credits: Jon Viscott

The Seven Sisters comprises six interconnected sculptural elements inspired by the Pleiades, a star cluster that has anchored myths across cultures for millennia. Each sculpture is a formal variation of a single expression, ranging from 5 feet wide by 6 feet high to 5 feet wide by 16 feet high. Constructed from approximately 80 to 100 pieces of high grade 2x4 lumber, each element is painted in outdoor acrylic colors and assembled around an internal metal frame mounted to concrete base pads, creating a family of works united by form yet distinct in scale and detail.

The installation draws from the Greek tale of the daughters of Atlas and the nymph Pleione—pursued by Orion until Zeus transforms them into stars, one of which later fades from view. Similar stories appear from the Americas to Australia, each describing seven girls who become stars, with one no longer visible. Astronomers note that the Pleiades may indeed have appeared as seven bright stars roughly 100,000 years ago, and anthropologists suggest these parallel myths may reflect a shared cultural memory carried across early human migrations. Positioned along Santa Monica Boulevard, the installation honors this enduring global narrative, celebrating a poetic link to our collective human ancestry.

Matthias Neumann is an artist and architect whose practice spans sculpture, public art, installation, and architectural design, with projects realized throughout the United States, Europe, and Africa. His work has been presented internationally at institutions and exhibitions including Manifesta 8, Galeria HIT, the National Museum of Contemporary Art Romania, SITE:Lab, the Queens Museum, the Montalvo Arts Center, and the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. Neumann has produced a number of public art installations across the U.S. and Europe, often exploring conditions of material simplicity, spatial perception, and shared cultural memory.

For more images of the artwork installation please visit https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCUnyz. 

Photo credits: Jon Viscott