Public Art Reaction

The public work of art I found in my neighborhood was located in near the entrance of an upscale apartment building.  It is a statue of an upright human figure next to a column.  It is made of flat pieces of stone, possible granite, stacked upon each other.  The slabs of stone are rough and slightly jagged.  The slabs are of slightly different hues of an earthy gray.  This statue looks almost as if it could be from ancient times.  It clearly has classical influences.  The column appears to be influence by Hellenistic culture.  The human figure has their arms crossed almost like an Egyptian mummy would.  There is no doubt that the artist was influenced by some archaic Mediterranean culture.  The statue looks like something that could be found in the ruins on a remote Greek island.  The form of the human figure is rounded and indistinct like a statue that has suffered from hundreds of years of rain and wind erosion; similar to the Egyptian sphinx.  I believe it was the intention of the artist to create a work of art that reflected its ancient influences. 

The statue is in the garden next to the doorway of a luxury apartment building on 96^th street between Lexington and 3^rd.  Off to the side and behind the statue is a plaza/garden that is very well kept and nice.  The statue seems almost to be a watchman of this quaint garden space.  The statue fits well into its surroundings.  As it stands as a watchman over the garden, it also stands watch over the entrance to the apartment building.  It looks good as part of the garden in which it stands because of the natural look of the statue; its edges are not straight and clean.  They are rough and look as if they were pulled right out of a river. 

I have walked by this statue numerous times but I really noticed it after we vised Moma PS1.  There was a work of art from the same artist which was a part of the same collection of stone figures.  When I used to walk by I didn’t think as much of the statue because, although I liked it, I thought it was maybe some corporate art.  My opinion admittedly changed when I found out that the artist was more renowned in the art world than I would have expected.  I think this piece would have initially turned my head more had I first seen it in a museum or gallery.

Boaz Vaadia

“Yahkin”

Stone sculpture

1993

Chelsea Galleries Reaction

When choosing a work of art I would want to collect, I tried to look at it as an investment and something that I would enjoy.  I looked for a work of art that seemed to me like it could be timeless, something that was not too trendy that would retain value.  To do this I tried to figure out the historical identity and the cultural identity of the art and how those respective identities fit into the world moving forward in time.  I believe art that has a high level of historic and cultural value has a better chance of retaining value.  For the art that I would want to collect, I chose works from the exhibit by Charles Freger entitled "Wilder Mann".  This exhibit contains portraits of people dressed in fantastical and primal costume.  They dress up in these costumes for different festivals throughout parts of Europe.  These works of art have a very strong cultural and historical identity.  The have influences from pagan traditions and Christian traditions of the past.  I think these aspects will give Freger’s work more value moving forward into the future.  As the forces of globalization continue to generate a more singular, monotonous culture worldwide, art like this with its historical and culture value will become more valuable; especially if the festivals where these costumes are worn begin to dwindle in number and significance.  I also really like this art.  I love the monstrous, shamanic costumes.  They strike in me fear and curiosity.  

On the other hand, for art which I would not buy as a collector, I chose work from the British artist Richard Hughes.  To me, this art does not have as valuable a historical and cultural perspective.  The cultural perspective of this art is very modern.  The pieces of art are made up of industrial material such as concrete or plastic.  This art seems to almost be factory made.  The historical perspective is very much rooted in the present, which, in my mind, will not add to its value moving forward.  The industrial nature of our global culture is growing, so, while Richard Hughes' art may remain relevant moving forward, I do not see it growing in value as much as the work by Charles Freger.  Another reason that i would not by Hughes' art as a collector is that the work is large and heavy and would be difficult to store and would be expensive.