CityCenterDC unveiled “Urban Living Rooms,” a new public art exhibit on Palmer Alley in Northwest D.C., created by Vietnamese-American artist Tung Nguyen. The installation features 17 overhead suspended, conceptual living spaces meant to reflect how Americans
For a stretch of Palmer Alley in Northwest D.C., the daily rush of the pedestrian walkway paused on Friday as city officials and leaders from the arts community gathered at CityCenterDC to unveil a new public art exhibit: “Urban Living Rooms.”
The installation is on display between 9th and 10th streets and turns the upscale corridor into something slower, more intimate—an urban setting built around the idea of a “living room” as a personal space for memory, culture, identity, and belonging.
The exhibit was created by Vietnamese-American artist and architectural designer Tung Nguyen. Standing among the suspended forms. Nguyen spoke about what the work means to him as a young artist and as an Asian-American—how public art can pull people closer. even when they arrive with different lives and experiences.
“It just means a lot to me because as a young artist and as an Asian-American, I believe that public art is a way to bring people together, to connect people,” Nguyen said.
“Urban Living Rooms” hangs overhead as a collection of 17 conceptual living spaces. Together, they examine how Americans express their individual selves with their family and loved ones—projecting the familiar idea of home into a downtown public passage.
“When I first (thought) about that. I (thought) about the urban living room because that is where every single one of us as an artist and creator of our own space. that is when you started to express who you are and to bring that idea into an urban setting like this I think it was a beautiful way to share memory. culture. identity and belonging in an urban setting. ” Nguyen said.
Nguyen’s submission didn’t come from a short list. It was selected by a committee from among 100 entries across the U.S. to conceptualize and construct the exhibit.
City leaders framed the unveiling as more than a new display downtown. D.C. Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Nina Albert said public art can reshape everyday places into spaces where people feel connected.
“Public art transforms everyday spaces into places of connection and community,” Albert said. She added that the exhibit helps define downtown D.C.’s brand—“identity and destination as one that is rooted in culture and creativity,” she said.
For Gerren Price, president and CEO of the DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID), the excitement extends beyond the artwork itself. He pointed to the way people experience downtown and what they carry with them afterward.
“The part of downtown’s future that really excites me the most is thinking about the art, the culture and the ways that people experience this place and remember it for decades to come,” Price said. He also acknowledged CityCenter’s longer track record in shaping the area.
“Beyond the artwork here today, I do also want to acknowledge the more than a decade of place-making and thoughtful work that CityCenter has done to make this a world class destination,” Price said.
As “Urban Living Rooms” takes its place between 9th and 10th streets, Palmer Alley isn’t just passing through—it’s asking visitors to look up, slow down, and recognize a personal theme: how a shared public space can still hold the feeling of home.
CityCenterDC Urban Living Rooms Tung Nguyen public art Palmer Alley Northwest D.C. DowntownDC BID Nina Albert D.C. arts community