The part that seemed most interesting to me from today’s trip was the PeaRoeFoam, by Jason Rhoades. When I first walked in, I have to admit feeling a little confusion as to how such inexpensive material was, and how it was just nonchalantly mixed together and then called “art.” However, as I tried to understand the deeper meaning of the art and what type of work was put into it, it helped me understand it a bit more.
The art featured peas, fish eggs, and foam, all combined with glue. At first glance you might think just how different this art is. The purpose of the art was never specified. I think the reason for this is that it gives us the liberty to develop our own opinions and inferences from the art. As I tried to understand and find meaning in the art, I noticed that all the materials in the art are only of use to us when we use it, but once it’s used it up, it’s worthless. I think the message may have been for us to realize the amount of non-biodegradable things we throw out, and how it’s detrimental to the environment. I especially got this message from the boots filled with old bottles. I think it also helps us understand and recognize how much we take for granted such as a pea; in spite of the food shortages in others parts of the world, we waste so much.
Another interesting part about the art was the fact the artist makes everything look all sealed, manufactured, and official by using the “Not for retail sale” cardboard boxes, shrink wrap, and pallets. This is all in spite of the fact, that the objects used in the art are all valueless in there own right. This was where I began to wonder how this could be sold for such expensive prices! It wasn’t until I saw the video about the art, that I began to understand the value of the art. So many laborers were getting paid to make the installation. This is what a buyer is also paying for when purchasing a piece.
Lastly, I found it extremely clever by the artist to be able to create such valuable art that sells for exorbitant prices all from cheap, useless materials. What I also found different about the art was the fact that when I think of art, I usually think of one artist, but here, their were so many people who worked together to create the art!
Yesterday afternoon I was walking down 59th street when I stumbled upon beautiful, simple, spontaneous art. Outside of what seemed to be an apartment building were two pillars decorated with spray paint. The images were presented so effortlessly, it seemed like a random passerby impulsively decided to spray paint.
However, the two pillars had two different auras. The first to catch my eye was the bright and colorful geometric patterns. The solid colored rectangles contrasted the black graffiti backdrop. The second pillar had a gloomier persona. A red cloud appeared to be swallowing a twisted black figure. Again, a gold geometric pattern contrasted this dark scene.
The images are free to interpretation; in this way, they leave onlookers wondering. I liked how the art seemed so spur-of-the-moment, yet each piece could be analyzed for hours. The art in the streets of New York is easy to miss, but rewarding when noticed and appreciated.
One afternoon, I was wandering around Washington Square Park enjoying a beautiful weather, only to discover a statue of Miguel de Cervantes, one of the most influential and well known writers of all times. The fact is that this statue is located in a garden called Willy’s Garden on the campus of NYU, which seems to be dedicated strictly for this statue. Being a fan of Cervantes’s Don Quixote, I took a closer look.
The statue was relatively big, and its metallic structure made a strong impact, as if to represent the influence of Cervantes’s work all over the world. As seen in the picture, his left hand is holding a sword, and his right hand is holding a roll of paper. These elements definitely created a perfect representation of the man- who has a reputation of an excellent writer and a great fighter as well.
This statue, though being a form of stationary art, enables to bring Cervantes’s personality to life. It allows us to almost experience his presence by being able to approach it closely and observe it from different directions.
I know this is a bit late, but I wanted to devote one of my posts to Marina Abramović who we saw in “Picasso Baby” by Jay-Z. I know a lot of people didn’t know she was a famous artist at the time, but I wanted to show everyone her art since each piece is really powerful in my perspective.
One of my favorite pieces by her was actually in 1974 called “Rhythm 0”. In this piece, she made herself the art object for 6 hours (8pm-2am) and put 72 objects on a table that the audience could use on her. The objects ranged from an apple and lipstick to a loaded gun and box of razors. I though this piece was really powerful because she literally risked her life to show how the audience treats an artist. It also has to do a lot with sociopsychology since when one person decided to act violently and didn’t get in trouble for it, everyone else started acting that way.
“What I learned was that… if you leave it up to the audience, they can kill you.” … “I felt really violated: they cut up my clothes, stuck rose thorns in my stomach, one person aimed the gun at my head, and another took it away. It created an aggressive atmosphere. After exactly 6 hours, as planned, I stood up and started walking toward the audience. Everyone ran away, to escape an actual confrontation.”
You should definitely check out her other work, I especially liked “Rhythm 5”, “Breathing In/Breathing Out”, and “The Artist is Present”.
On Saturday, September 27th at 3:17PM I left my 97th street dorm and headed for the downtown 6 train. I was heading to Baruch, not for class, but to attend TEDxGramercy which was being held at Mason Hall in the 23rd Street building. With my Business 1000 textbook in hand to study for Monday’s exam, I waited anxiously on line, only looking up to take a few steps forward.
The topic of the night was grit, but what is grit?
“Life takes grit. From the smallest organisms surviving in the void of space to the bravest children growing up in abject poverty… from the boxing ring to the surgical table and back, the tenacity of life is unassailable!”
There were a total of 7 speakers: Caroline Adams Miller, The Moments that Make Champions; Harriet Taub, Creative Reuse; Harvey Rubin, Keeping Inoculations Cool; Nir Barzilai, How to Die Young at a Very Old Age; Michael Crouch, The Cost of Courage: We Need to Pay Attention; David Ginspoon, Terra Sapiens: Planetary Challenges of the Fourth Kind; and Amikaeyla Gaston, Dare to Be Dauntless!. Each speaker told a different story and with each story came a different emotion, a different feeling, and a different definition of how to live the “gritty life”. A summary of these stories wold do them no justice, but to put it in the words of the speakers:
Grit is Why not me? Grit is art. Grit is saving lives. Grit is courage. Grit is music
Grit is being limitlessness.
Check out the list of speakers at tedxgramercy.com/grit and keep an eye out for the recorded talks at ted.com
This was a really hands on project that allowed anyone to pick up a piece of chalk and just write down what they wanted to e. Some people wrote cute messages, others wrote down funny things, fantasies and aspirations. It was just a way to share with the world what you wanted to be. I contributed to it myself but it was really hard to make up something to write that wasn’t already taken.
This piece by Claude Monet caught my eye as I was looking through the oil paintings at the Met. I really like the colors – the sea foam green and aqua blue that make up the ocean, then the bright blue sky and its puffy white clouds. Everyone in the scene looks like they’re enjoying life whether they’re taking a leisurely stroll or heading out on a canoe.
This peaceful beach town scene reminds me of my hometown. Nothing beats sitting on the beach watching the tides roll in.
I think it goes without saying I miss summertime at the Jersey Shore!
On the rooftop of the Met earlier that day 
Last year, I was exposed to one of the most fascinating art forms I have ever seen: The art of The Brick.
This form of art, created by Nathan Sawaya in 2002, includes a variety of 3D sculptures and large portraits that are built of regular LEGO bricks in a very irregular way. When I attended the exhibition in NYC, I was really surprised to discover enormous structures, (some as large as a real human and some even larger), that are so impressive and attractive, yet they are made of something so simple that usually people don’t even tend to view as art.
In the exhibition, both kids and adults were very excited and impressed by this form of LEGO art. It was a very inspirational experience that taught us that with dedication and creativity, everything is possible.
Personally, this exhibition really changed my view of art. I realized that art could range from the most basic thing to the most complex- and it would still be beautiful and unique. I absolutely enjoyed it, and I would really recommend for everyone to attend whenever there is another exhibition in NY! (There are exhibition all over the world, actually.)
Here are pictures of some of the most impressive structures:
CLIFF HOUSE
FLYING SHIP
ROCOCO HUT
The first thing I noticed about Rachel Feinstein’s Folly collection was its striking contrast against the lusciously green setting. All three pieces have a similar facade that gives them a feel that is mystical and out of this world, whereas its setting is natural and very familiar. What is most interesting to me about Folly is that although it looks very paper-like and flimsy, the actual structure is quite sturdy because it is made out of aluminum. After observing the pieces for some time, I realized that “folly” is the perfect name for these pieces for they do not serve a functional purpose but they sure are nice to look at.
During the last few weeks of summer my mother and I felt that we need to spend more quality time together before I had to leave for school. And so we headed to the city to catch a show on Broadway. I wasn’t familiar with the story line of Chicago but because so many people raved about it my mother and I decided to buy tickets. I’ll admit that the first ten minutes of the show was absolutely awkward because of how scandalous the actors and actresses were dressed however, the performance of the show was just so amazing that I realized that attire is a huge asset behind the art of Broadway. In the show that I watched, Amra-Faye Wright was the leading actress and she made me collect a whole new level of respect for performing artists. To be able to memorize hundreds of lines without a slip, profess emotion through body language and on top of that sing/dance…it was absolutely stunning. I give Chicago the Musical a rating of ★★★★★!
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