Offsite Project
July 10, 2013–April 30, 2014

Jen Liu: Melon Mysticism for Everyone

The International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP), together with the NYC Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Urban Art Program, are pleased to present Jen Liu’s Melon Mysticism for Everyone, five photographic vinyl banners located along the Manhattan Bridge bike fence on Forsyth Street between Canal and Division streets in Manhattan. The banner series will be on display for a period of 11 months.

The five banners feature a watermelon that has been carved into a mandala pattern, being eaten by a series of animals: a goat, sheep, horse, and chicken. Chinatown food markets and the diverse neighborhood located around the Manhattan Bridge brought Liu to reflect on the ideas of unity and community, and the communal eating of watermelon by the animals acts as a humorous metaphor for the functional cohesion of immigrant communities in New York City.   The artist notes, “the diverse community that exists in the Chinatown markets is not an abstraction, but something informal, messy and full of life.”

This project is being produced through the pARTners track of the DOT Urban Art Program and is the third collaboration between the agency and the International Studio & Curatorial Program.

NYC DOT Urban Art Program:
Launched in October 2008, DOT’s Urban Art Program invigorates the city’s streetscapes with engaging temporary art installations. It partners with community-based organizations and artists to present murals, sculptures, projections, and performances on plazas, fences, barriers, bridges, and sidewalks for up to 11 months. Projects are presented within three program tracks: pARTners, Barrier Beautification, and Arterventions.

Manhattan Bridge
Forsyth Street between Canal and Division streets in Manhattan
Twitter
Facebook
Copy link
Courtesy of the artist
Courtesy of the artist
Courtesy of the artist

Current and Upcoming Events & Exhibitions

Sujin Lim: The Land, Dark and Muddy

Through February 7
Exhibition

Somewhere Inside: ISCP and the Studio

Through March 7
Exhibition

ISCP Talk
June 25, 2013

Salon: Laura Horelli

Laura Horelli will present A Letter to Mother, a video piece produced during her 6-month residency at ISCP and currently exhibited at The 7th Momentum Biennial in Moss, Norway. A Letter to Mother was filmed in Flushing, Queens, where Horelli’s mother spent her first years in the 1950s. The narrative touches upon some political movements of the last century by recalling the life of one Finnish family.

Twitter
Facebook
Copy link

Participating Residents

Laura Horelli
Laura Horelli

Current and Upcoming Events & Exhibitions

Sujin Lim: The Land, Dark and Muddy

Through February 7
Exhibition

Somewhere Inside: ISCP and the Studio

Through March 7
Exhibition

Offsite Project
June 19, 2013–May 15, 2014

Gabriela Galván: Aquatic Random

The International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) and the New York City Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Art Program are pleased to announce Aquatic Random, a temporary art installation on Richmond Terrace at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal by artist Gabriela Galván.

Since the Staten Island Ferry Terminal is a place of transition both physically and mentally for workers, tourists and commuters, Galván used boat parts and navigation accessories as sculptural elements to generate contemplation about the ways people interact with water. The artist further examined and reflected upon issues of global warming, varying cultural uses of water, and individual spectator’s personal involvement with water. Referencing the migration of people and birds through these ever­ changing waterways, Aquatic Random is evocative of the interactions between man­ made landscape and nature.

Gabriela Galván’s work is cross­disciplinary and includes installation, video, drawing, sculpture, design and performance. She works in public spaces, interacting with diverse communities. Her work has been shown internationally with exhibitions at On Gallery/ Mediations Poznan Art Biennale, Poznan; Zacheta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw; Awangarda Contemporary Art Gallery, Wroclaw; Museo Nacional de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid; Kuenstlerhaus Bethanien; Berlin; Isola Art Center, Milan; Apeejay Media Gallery, Delhi; Umeda Sky Building, Osaka; and White Columns, New York. Galván has also exhibited at the Museo Tamayo, Museo de Arte Moderno and Sala de Arte Púlblico Siqueiros in her native Mexico City.

The New York City Department of Transportation launched the Art Program in October 2008 to invigorate the City’s streetscapes with engaging temporary art installations. The Program partners with community organizations and artists to present murals, sculptures, projections, and performances on public property such as plazas, fences, barriers, footbridges, and sidewalks.

Special thanks to Boston Family Boating, Mexican Cultural Institute of New York, Neo Cabinetry LLC, Polyform U.S. and Aimée and Roberto De Servitje for their support.

Staten Island Ferry Terminal
Richmond Plaza, Staten Island
Twitter
Facebook
Copy link
Aquatic Random, 2013, Mixed media sculpture. Courtesy of the artist
Aquatic Random, 2013, Mixed media sculpture. Courtesy of the artist

Current and Upcoming Events & Exhibitions

Sujin Lim: The Land, Dark and Muddy

Through February 7
Exhibition

Somewhere Inside: ISCP and the Studio

Through March 7
Exhibition