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
© unurth