With summer upon us, there are lots of things happening, but a few of the musical events seem to be at times that are not tremendously convenient for me, so I’ve been exploring art. Saturday found me at the Socrates Sculpture Park, in Queens, a place I’ve often considered visiting. While I’m glad I went, I was a little surprised at the size of the park. It was quite a bit smaller than I expected. There were four site-specific installations, each interesting, but each slightly unsatisfying, as well.
The Living Pyramid (2015) by Agnes Denes, is indeed a large pyramid with living plants in tiers, but it wasn’t as impressive as I expected. And it certainly wasn’t as impressive as depicted in the brochure that I picked up.
Two Trees in Balance (2015), by Gabriela Albergaria, was two tree stumps connected by wires to a cinder block wall. Meh. A large installation by IK Studio was not the piece depicted in the brochure. It was pleasant enough—sort of like large wooden flowers alternating facing in and facing out.
Suspect Terrain (2015), by Heide Fasnacht, was my favorite of the four. The painted wooden structural pieces were designed to show the aftermath of a sinkhole. It was impressive but lacked a certain spark because there was no way to view it from above (once again, as depicted in the brochure). I did enjoy Degas Horses (2014), by Vera Lutter, which is on display at the main gate to the park.
To the park’s credit, it is maintained very nicely, and there are structures used for hands-on art projects designed for children, as well as what appear to be additional workshop areas. There was also a small farmer’s market on the day I was there. I’ll probably schedule another visit after August 30, when this display is ending. I’ll just have different expectations—and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
On Sunday, I wandered through a rather fun block party sponsored by the
Rubin Museum of Art on West 17th Street in Manhattan. There were lots of hands-on activities for children, and the kids were having a great time. The block party also included free admission to the museum, and I took full advantage of that (both to see the museum again and to beat the heat).
Dedicated to art from Asia’s varied places, the permanent collection focuses on the Himalayan region. Special exhibitions include Becoming Another: The Power of Masks; Collecting Paradise: Buddhist Art of Kashmir and Its Legacies; and Art with Benefits: The Drigung Tradition. I especially liked a lot of the masks, and they were a big hit with the children in the museum. In Collecting Paradise and Art with Benefits, my favorites were the figurines of the gods and goddesses, as opposed to the paintings on cloth and paper. And I was particularly drawn to the following text: “Blazing Razor of Extreme Repelling.” It just resonated with me for some reason.
So, art it was, this past weekend. There are still concerts ahead and maybe even some outdoor theater, as well.
ArtMeister (aka ConcertMeister)
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