Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Gray Malin Debuts Series Highlighting the ‘Timelessness’ of the Hotel del Coronado

Gray Malin tours his new namesake suite featuring his fine art prints at the Hotel del Coronado.
Megan Kitt / The Coronado Times

Twelve years ago, Gray Malin stood in a hotel room towering twenty stories above a pool. As he looked at the scene below – swimmers, sunbathers, and, of course, umbrellas – an idea sparked.

From above, the act of something so universally human as going to the beach morphs into a pattern that juxtaposes just how small we are with how connected the world is. Malin traveled around the world, shooting coastal scenes from a helicopter. In his body of work, the beaches change, but the people and the feeling of summer – of salt-frosted skin and the freedom of a day lazed away – remains the same.

Malin’s latest series explores the longstanding history of the Hotel del Coronado, featuring the Aqualillies, a professional synchronized swimming company. It debuted April 18 and is featured in a pop-up suite in the hotel’s The Views neighborhood, which was designed and curated by Malin and is available for guest rental through the end of the year.

Malin previewed his collection and suite at a resort member party last week, and signed prints of his new Coronado pieces sold faster than staff could bring them out. The launch party concluded with a performance by the Aqualillies.

The Aqualillies perfrom at Gray Malin’s launch party at the Hotel del Coronado
Megan Kitt / The Coronado Times

“The hotel has so much history, so we really leaned into the idea of turning back time,” Malin said. “We started with the colors of the red turret and roof to evolve a color palette of beiges and creams and pinks. We wanted to embody the timelessness of the hotel with the work.”

First, Malin said, they began working with surfboards. Then, they brought in vintage cars. They spent countless hours pouring over photographs from the 1960s, identifying nuances in women’s wardrobe so they could recreate retro style for the Aqualillies dancers to wear.

He gestures to a pair of sunglasses in one print. “Those took a long time to find,” he said.

That level of detail is perhaps why Malin’s work is so difficult to replicate (and people have tried). At his launch party, he pointed out specific details about the hotel that he fixated on as he photographed his series. As he introduced his prints, he highlighted specific shadows that created the depth he wanted in his shots.

The Gray Malin Oceanfront Suite was curated by Malin and features his fine art prints throughout.
Megan Kitt / The Coronado Times

And, indeed, in Malin’s work, patterns of umbrellas and shadow come together to create a beautiful symmetry in the midst of the chaos of a crowded beach.

During the pandemic, Malin focused his work on inanimate objects, and his work at the Del was his first foray into photographing living subjects again.

“It was so fun to work with the Aqualillies,” Malin said. “They were fantastic – you tell them, ‘Ladies, get your legs out,’ and they all do it perfectly. It made my job easy.”

The Gray Malin Oceanfront Suite also boasts his new book, Coastal, a self-described love letter to America that embodies seven years of helicopter shots across the country. The book releases May 9. Prints of Malin’s Coronado collection are available at the hotel’s retail shop and on the artist’s website. The Gray Malin pop-up suite can be reserved through this year at the Hotel del Coronado.

 

 



Megan Kitt
Megan Kitt
Megan has worked as a reporter for more than 10 years, and her work in both print and digital journalism has been published in more than 25 publications worldwide. She is also an award-winning photographer. She holds BA degrees in journalism, English literature and creative writing and an MA degree in creative writing and literature. She believes a quality news publication's purpose is to strengthen a community through informative and connective reporting.Megan is also a mother of three and a Navy spouse. After living around the world both as a journalist and as a military spouse, she immediately fell in love with San Diego and Coronado for her family's long-term home.Have news to share? Send tips, story ideas or letters to the editor to: [email protected]

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