New Yorkers used to seeing abandoned and decrepit bikes are likely to get a kick out of Polish artist Alicja Kwade’s twisted racer in City Hall Park. Like her curving wooden door that we saw on Lower East Side tours last Feb/March, she took the original apart, reformed it and pieced it back together to create an object of whimsy and wonder. (Through December 13th).
Alicja Kwade, Journey without Arrival (Raleigh), stainless steel, aluminum, rubber, plastic components, 2012/13.
British sculptor Gary Webb mixes high and low references with his 22’ high aluminum sculpture ‘Buzzing It Down’ at City Hall Park, which nods equally to elegant modernism a la Brancusi’s Endless Column and plastic preschool linking toys. (Through December 13th).
Gary Webb, ‘Buzzing it Down,’ cast aluminum, paint, 2012.
In a more intimately-scaled followup to Swiss-American artist Ugo Rondinone’s powerful installation of stone characters at Paula Cooper Gallery this spring, the artist revives his recurring clown figure as a performer at City Hall Park. Even asleep, this character is imposing and mysterious with his colorful nylon costume, collar of feathers and thick shawl. (Through December 13th).
Ugo Rondinone, dog days are over, performance, 1996/2013.
It’s going to be hard to appreciate major late 20th century minimalist Daniel Buren’s characteristic indoor painted installations after seeing his gorgeous pavilion in City Hall Park, which allows visitors to literally walk into fields of color and interact with spaces projected by the sun onto the ground and pavilion floor. (Through December 13th).
Daniel Buren, Suncatcher, powder-coated steel, glass, vinyl, 2013.
LA sculptor Evan Holloway uses one of art history’s most iconic artworks, a 4.5 inch high fertility goddess from approximately 22-24,000 BC, as decorative inspiration for a huge, slender bronze ring in City Hall Park. The shifts between a tiny but fulsome female on a huge but slim ring are provocative and amusing; you’ll also get a rare glimpse of the sculpture’s back view. (Through December 13th).
Evan Holloway, ‘Willendorf Wheel,’ bronze, 2013.
