It also marks the L.A.-based Curry's most ambitious project to date. Entitled MELT TO EARTH, the boldly-colored, monumental aluminum sculptures will surround the iconic Revson Fountain on Lincoln Center's Josie Robertson Plaza.
The artist was selected by the Lincoln Center Art Committee, chaired by Peter Kraus, with guidance from a Curatorial Advisory Working Group comprised of Richard Armstrong, Director, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation; Nicholas Baume, Director, Public Art Fund; Thelma Golden, Director, The Studio Museum in Harlem; Christian Rattemeyer, Associate Curator, The Museum of Modern Art; Scott Rothkopf, Curator, Whitney Museum of American Art; and Philippe Vergne, Director, Dia Art Foundation.
Noted Mr. Levy, "The completion of Lincoln Center's transformation provides us with an opportunity to animate our outdoor spaces with outstanding works of art available free to Lincoln Center's thousands of visitors. Aaron Curry's inspired and playful sculptures will be enjoyed by adults and children of all ages."
Inspired by the scale of the Plaza and its architecture, Curry transforms the space into a sculptural theater-in-the-round to create an immersive environment for visitors.
"When I first visited Josie Robertson Plaza with an eye toward this project, I was immediately struck by the scale of the Plaza and its architecture," Curry said. "This led me to think about how I could engage the space, not compete with it, or try to overwhelm or obscure it, but rather activate it as an environment of sculpture. The concept of an interactive, almost performative installation began to develop. I became excited by the idea of placing several sculptures throughout the Plaza so that the visiting public could move among the works, experiencing them directly as part of the given environment. Giacometti's unrealized project for Chase Manhattan Plaza is something of a touchstone here, but so are the designs for theater and ballet of Picasso and Matisse. It occurred to me that an arrangement of sculptures at Josie Robertson Plaza could echo what occurs on stage: the sculptures can be understood simultaneously as characters and as being the setting for some event."
The installation was commissioned by Lincoln Center with the assistance of the Lincoln Center Art Committee and the Art Advisory Group, as the second, free public art initiative showcasing the newly-transformed Lincoln Center campus.
Public Art at Lincoln Center is made possible by the generous support of the Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society, Mr. & Mrs. J. Tomilson Hill III, and The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation.
Additional support provided by The David and Peggy Rockefeller Art Fund.
Images: "Untitled," 2013; courtesy Aaron Curry and Michael Werner Gallery, New York and London.
Photo: Sachi Yoshimoto
