The title of Swiss New Yorker Olaf Breuning’s ‘The Humans’ in City Hall Park showcases human character types in a series of six figures, from a fulsome female to a kingly clown, while also inviting real live humans to pose or clown for the camera in what’s turned out to be a major magnet for picture takers. (Through December 13th).
Olaf Breuning, ‘The Humans,’ marble, bronze, 2007.
Anyone ready to harvest squash from their garden in the coming weeks will appreciate British artist Sarah Lucas’ mother of all zucchini at City Hall Park, one of two gigantic cast concrete sculptures titled ‘Florian’ and ‘Kevin’ that summarize excess in vegetable form. (Through December 13th).
Sarah Lucas, Florian and Kevin, cast concrete, 2013.
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.
