Local Tourism #2 – Frieze Sculpture at Rockefeller Center 2019 – a public art initiative

So, yesterday – that being Thursday May 2nd, 2019 – we went down to see what this FRIEZE SCULPTURE thing was all about. It checked off a couple of boxes for us both:

It was free
It was in the city
We needed to get outside
There was potential for us to appreciate some art, thus improving ourselves…

Its an indoor AND outdoor exhibit, spaced out around the Rockefeller campus. There is an interactive app you can download for both Apple and Android, that will provide you with a positional map and also a really very informative audio guide. That said, we will not go into what each piece is meant to represent, as that will probably be slightly different in interpretation for everybody viewing these pieces, and, anyway, each piece is nicely described in the audio guide. For some behind-the-scenes discussion of this collection by the curator of this collection, CLICK HERE

How you approach and view the various sculptures and pieces is entirely up to you, but we chose to follow the order presented in the map in the app (paper copies are available at lobby desks surrounding the plaza)

Although we got to see all the works, we were not able to get usable pictures of one of the pieces; it was inaccessible due to the central Ice Rink area being cordoned off for a Google event – no doubt congratulating themselves for making way too much friggin’ money for yet another friggin’ year in a row…

Anyway – let’s see some art, shall we?

Indeed, let’s…

Paulo Nazareth: DRY CUT (from Blacks in the Pool – Rosa), 2019

Paulo Nazareth: DRY CUT (from Blacks in the Pool – Martin), 2019

Hank Willis Thomas: Josephine and Kazumi (Real Red), 2018 & Harriet and Annie (Capri), 2018

Hank Willis Thomas: Josephine and Kazumi (Real Red), 2018 (with Gabby in the middle!)

Paulo Nazareth: DRY CUT (from Blacks in the Pool – Tommie), 2019

Paulo Nazareth: DRY CUT (from BLACKS IN THE POOL – Ruby), 2019

Goshka Macuga: International Institute of Intellectual Co-operation, Configuration 25, First Man: Yuri Gagarin, 2016

Goshka Macuga: International Institute of Intellectual Co-operation, Configuration 26, Before the Beginning: Stephen Hawking, 2016

Walter De Maria: Truth / Beauty, 1993–2016

There are only two pieces not pictured from the entire collection. We’ll let it be a little challenge to you to find them without just Googling it!

…Actually, we basically tried to track down each piece in order, just using the maps provided – sort of like geocaching, in a less nerdy way – and it was fun because we really had to hunt for a few of the pieces – not saying which, so as not to ruin anybody else’s fun!

Some of the works are quite interesting, some are magnificent, some are intriguing, and – just like all collections of art – some made no sense to us, at all!

But we enjoyed this day out together in Manhattan, and that was our overall objective.

We’d definitely suggest this as a great way to pass a couple of pleasant hours in the city. If you go, please feel free to share your impressions of the collection in the comments below…