Field Study of the Leaning Bodies/Traces is an ongoing installation project by artist Yolanda He Yang, developed as part of Behind VA Shadows in collaboration with invited curators. Each participating curator selects a color, realized as a vertical band painted onto the gallery wall. Subtle yet deliberate demarcations at hip and shoulder height interrupt these fields of color, registering echoes of bodily contact. These marks reference the project’s focus: the traces left by Visitor Assistants as they lean against the wall for brief moments of respite during extended gallery shifts.
During each installment of new color, artist invites museum workers to leave their bodies of traces onto the wall with charcoal.
read more about the project here
second color: third color:
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more to come
first color: Morning Sky Blue
During each installment of new color, artist invites museum workers to leave their bodies of traces onto the wall with charcoal.
read more about the project here
second color: third color:
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more to comefirst color: Morning Sky Blue
Installed on 1/16/2026
curate by Tessa Bachi Haas
with the support by
Nicky, Nami, Ayla, Cam, , Lexx, Yin Bin
Nicky, Nami, Ayla, Cam, , Lexx, Yin Bin
“I woke up on the first day of 2026 to a bright, blue sky. January in Boston is synonymous with grey, cloudy skies, maybe some rain or snow, waking up in the dark, and spending most evenings in pitch darkness. Winter is a time for slowness, rest, and coziness; to recuperate and reflect on time past, and to celebrate a year ahead. The first days of January embodied this. A blue sky does wonders for the mind and the soul, and we need everyday wonders more than ever...
Blue is the color of a perfectly new day. In Parsi culture, blue is associated with strength, good fortune, and protection from harm, manifesting in the use of turquoise as an embellishment for the home and jewelry. In the United States, blue workwear like indigo-dyed jumpsuits and denim was the norm because a) the dye was cheap and b) the color hid grease and dirt from manual labor, especially during the 19th century when daily washing was difficult. (Coined in 1924, this is where the term "blue-collar" comes from: the actual color of laborers' clothing).
Blue is both peace and action; rest and labor; stillness and movement; protection of self and others. I hope this particular shade, called "morning sky blue," provides space for visitors to reflect on these values as we enter a new year. “ - Tessa
Tessa Bachi Haas is assistant curator at the ICA, where she has organized and supported over a dozen exhibitions since 2022. Tessa is committed to supporting local arts ecologies and fostering an expansive, global exhibition program.
Her recent projects include Christian Marclay: Doors, the 2025 James and Audrey Foster Prize, and the first museum survey of Derrick Adams. At the ICA, Tessa co-manages the museum’s publications program. She has previously held curatorial positions in Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., and has contributed to many exhibitions and catalogues in these cities. Tessa is a Ph.D Candidate in History of Art at Bryn Mawr College, where she earned her MA in 2019.