Tag: moma ps1

Liquidation Totale

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Three Heads Fountain (Three Andrews) (detail), 2005, epoxy resin, fiberglass, wire, hoses, immersible pump, rubber-lined basin, water;

Bruce Nauman, Three Heads Fountain (Juliet, Andrew, Rinde) (detail), 2005, epoxy resin, fiberglass, wire, hoses, immersible pump, rubber-lined basin, water;

From Bruce Nauman: Disappearing Acts @MoMA PS1

December 14th, 2018

 

The Art of Ageing Gracefully

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Even a hundred-and-twenty-year-old basement boiler becomes a work of art, when it is lovingly restored and partly covered in gold. It helps, of course, if the boiler is found in the basement of MoMA PS1 and the person responsible for its restoration is an artist.

Saul Melman took it upon himself to bring a previously unnoticed element of the building back into the spotlight, by sandblasting the boiler and spending days scrubbing and cleaning the floors and surrounding area. Finally, he applied gold leaf leaving small sections of the pipes uncovered, showing their original beauty.

Saul Melman, “Central Governor” (2010)

MoMA PS1, Long Island City

December 14th, 2018

Rockaway! 2018 || Narcissus Garden by Yayoi Kusama

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Fort Tilden

”Comprised of 1,500 mirrored stainless steel spheres, Narcissus Garden landed in a former train garage that dates to the time when Fort Tilden was an active US military base. The mirrored metal surfaces reflect the industrial surroundings of the now-abandoned building, drawing attention to Fort Tilden’s history as well as the devastating damage inflicted on many buildings in the area by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Narcissus Garden was first presented in 1966, when Kusama staged an unofficial installation and performance at the 33rd Venice Biennale. The silver spheres, originally made from plastic, were installed on the lawn in front of the Italian Pavilion, reflecting the landscape of the exhibition grounds. Kusama herself stood among them, barefoot and dressed in a gold kimono, alongside yard signs inscribed with the words “Narcissus Garden, Kusama” and “Your Narcissism for Sale.” Throughout the opening day of the exhibition, Kusama remained in the installation, tossing the spheres in the air and offering to sell them to visitors for 1,200 lire (approximately $2) each. The action, which was viewed both as self-promotion and a critique on the commercialization of contemporary art, would later be seen as a pivotal moment in Kusama’s career as she transitioned from installation toward the radical, politically charged public performances that would be the focus of her work in the late 1960s in New York City.”

The installation was presented by MoMA PS1, free to those whose way brought them over to the faraway Rockaway.

August 25th, 2018

Real life stories, humans and papier-mâché faces

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Art that looks back at you looking back at art.

Gauri Gill’s ”Acts of Appearance”, is a series of vivid color photographs for which the artist worked closely with members of an Adivasi community in Jawhar district, Maharashtra, India. Gill’s collaborator-subjects are renowned for their papier-mâché objects, including traditional sacred masks. In these pictures they engage in everyday village activities while wearing new masks, made expressly for this body of work, which depict living beings with the physical characteristics of humans, animals, or valued objects. A range of scenarios and narratives, situated in both “reality” and dreamlike states, come together in the photographs, which simultaneously portray symbolic or playful representations as well as the familiar experiences of community members against the backdrop of their home and culture.

Night at the Museum: Springtober Fest @ MoMA PS1

May 5th, 2018