Art in Transit

Art in Transit is a public engagement initiative that harnesses the power of art to advance social impact and economic development. By forming creative teams—combining the vision of an artist, the clarity of a data visualization expert, and the editorial insight of a curator—we partner with communities and organizations to build engagement, shared ownership, and long-term support for public missions. Imagine Gerhard Richter or Richard Estes collaborating with Edward Tufte and Ochoa Foster to raise awareness for a public cause.

Each project commissions original artwork and data visualizations on a central theme, culminating in a traveling exhibition and printed edition. Select pieces are retained by hosting venues as part of their permanent collection, leaving a lasting visual legacy.

Hugo Laurencena is Art in Transit's 2026-2028 invited creator. Laurencena is an internationally recognized painter whose work fused European brushwork traditions with American photorealism. His meticulous study of light, shadow, and color formed the basis of every canvas. “Objects,” he often said, “are just an excuse to paint light.” Laurencena’s career include exhibitions at the Museo Nacional de Arte (Mexico), MoMA New York, and MAM São Paulo, with his work included in major private and public collections across Latin America, North America, Europe, and Asia.

Laurencena lived and worked in Buenos Aires, New York, Zurich, Miami, and Mexico City before settling in North Carolina. He received numerous honors, including awards from the Constantini Collection, Telecom Argentina, and the Universidad de Belgrano. He worked briefly with Willem de Kooning early in his career, and went on to exhibit extensively through the Paula Allen Gallery and others.

Fifteen Waypoints explores the cultural, ecological, and industrial landscapes of North Carolina and the broader Mid-Atlantic South, through Laurencena’s signature object photorealism. The exhibition uses representational precision not simply to reproduce, but to reframe—inviting viewers to consider how place, identity, and innovation intersect in the American South.

The artworks depict a wide spectrum of “waypoints”: objects that signify indigenous and migrant heritage, Appalachian wildlife and agriculture, Outer Banks ecology, traditional industries like furniture, mining, and newer cultural forces such as biotech corridors, vineyards, and renewable energy. From dunes to data centers, the series of objects Laurencena selected reflects a deep inquiry into the visual language of place.

The completed exhibition will feature fifteen oil paintings and artist-intervened giclées (ranging from 50 x 60 cm to 100 x 180 cm). It will tour twelve public venues across five states—North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.—between April 2026 and April 2028. Each venue will host the work for two months and provide public programming. To foster enduring access, twelve giclées will be donated to the host venues’ permanent collections at the close of the tour.