And a question written specifically for the Buffalo installation of this work:

How much of truth is coherence?

From these simple yet profound prompts, the artist seeks to build a bridge between internal thought and external social and civic dialogue. Discovery is a fundamental element of this installation. The work is meant to appear and disappear from view. There is no way to “see” the work all at once. There are only discrete experiences that add up to a larger whole, relying on the landscape and a viewer’s unique journey, the signs they notice, and the natural surroundings they observe.

Wayfinding first began at the Studio Museum in Harlem (2019–20), before traveling to the Pulitzer Arts Foundation in St. Louis (2021) and the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles (2022–23).

View the locations of the artworks included in Wayfinding and the questions they present here. 

Wayfinding has been acquired into the Buffalo AKG's Public Art Collection.  This temporary installation is presented by the Buffalo AKG Art Museum in conjunction with Buffalo Olmstead Parks Conservancy, with approval from the City of Buffalo Department of Public Works and the Buffalo Arts Commission.  

The Frederick Law Olmsted landscape occupies a special place in our community, with visitors seeking its surroundings for many different purposes and aims. Though the installation of this work temporarily alters the landscape, the Buffalo AKG and BOPC will return the landscape to its original condition after the exhibition period ends in October 2025. Of particular concern is the health and safety of our local, regional, and migrating bird populations. The reflective surfaces of the work have been specially treated with a UV coating that appears solid to birds to avoid bird strikes. In five years of exhibition at locations throughout the United States there has never been a reported incident of bird strike or fatalities.
 
In addition, the AKG will continue to work with our partners at BOPC and you, the community, to ensure your safety during the changing seasons. We will take into account the various uses of the park, including walking, running, snowshoeing, sledding, and skiing. 

We welcome you to share your feedback, testimonials, affirmations, responses to the artwork’s prompts, questions, or concerns here. 

About Chloë Bass

Chloë Bass is a New York City–based artist who works in performance, publications, installation, and social spaces. She uses daily life as a subject for deep research into scales of human intimacy, from the personal to the civic. Wayfinding is a sub-project of Obligation To Others Holds Me In My Place, an investigation of intimacy within the immediate family. Bass has held numerous national fellowships and artist residencies, with her work appearing nationally and internationally.

Dedication

During the production of this exhibition, one of the project’s participants, Gail Wells, passed away. She cared deeply about the landscape we share together. We dedicate this exhibition to her work.

This installation is made possible by the Buffalo AKG Art Museum in conjunction with Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, with approval from the City of Buffalo Department of Public Works and the Buffalo Arts Commission.