Roa continues to produce stunning walls in NYC. Checkout images from his
show at Factory Fresh, and
more of his work.
artist: Roa
location: NYC
images by Jacob Heftmann
I find these fascinating: taking the consciously-ignored and putting it on a plinth; they also suggest a future moment when these carts and workers are a thing of history.
From Specter:
"The four pieces are specifically aimed at street workers to honor the art in their work and themselves. Placing the sculptures in parks, squares and underpasses that are crossroads for the general public and street workers allows viewers to celebrate the worker’s elegance and determination."
See
more by Specter.
artist: Specter
location: NYC
There seems to have been a lot of debate over the legality of street art in the past few
months years, but mostly the debate comes down to a struggle to reconcile the historic objection to artists appropriating public space with an ever-increasing public enthusiasm for artists appropriating public space. It's funny to think that while some artists are being
jailed for their art, some cities are actively competing for street art festivals & exhibits.
Antony Gormley's Event Horizon is a great example of an enlightened approach; public & private organizations worked together to make it happen (the official guide even includes an introduction from Mayor Bloomberg), and it's hard to argue that it can have done anything other than benefit local culture & business.
The sculptures themselves are casts of Gormley's body; there are 31 of them on buildings around Madison Square Park. It's fun and surprising as you start to spot them, and then they're strangely enigmatic - sometimes they feel quite ominous, sometimes quite friendly.
"The ambition is to make people visually aware of their own surroundings and the skyline above their heads."
The exhibit runs until August 15;
details here.
artist: Antony Gormley
location: Madison Square Park,
NYC
