Park Avenue Malls

NYC PARKS WELCOMES EYE-CATCHING NEW PUBLIC ART EXHIBITION ON PARK AVENUE MALLS

Rob Fischer’s “City” on display through November 15, 2017
Parks’ Art in the Parks program celebrates 50 years

NYC Parks, in partnership with Derek Eller Gallery and the Fund for Park Avenue’s Sculpture Committee, welcomes Rob Fischer’s exhibition “City,” the newest temporary public artwork on the Park Avenue Malls at East 54th Street. A part of Parks’ public art program, Art in the Parks, celebrating its 50th anniversary, this piece is the 28th exhibition on Park Avenue since 2000.

Fischer’s “City” consists of a multi-chambered structure made of glass, steel and cast aluminum. Each chamber is at least partially see-through, with some revealing their enclosed contents through clear glass. Others are empty or partially obscured by swaths of colorful silkscreen ink. With its tower like components, this sculpture refers to the ambition of building skyscrapers; of setting out and going from one place to another in search of success. It is a poetic sea and strata of bold colors filled with references to art history, pop culture, the noise of the streets, billboard imagery, and the signage and literature of the city. Like much of Fischer’s work, “City” will change over time, as the artist removes and replaces the objects inside the boxes at random, ultimately creating a singular and ever-evolving experience.

Rob Fischer lives and works in New York and Minnesota. Born in Minneapolis, he graduated from Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 1993. He is currently represented by Derek Eller Gallery, New York, and his work has been shown at the Minnesota Museum of American Art, Omi International Art Center, Chinati Foundation, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, The Hammer Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, and The Corcoran Museum.

Established in Chelsea in 1997, Derek Eller Gallery promotes emerging and under-recognized established artists. In 2016 the Gallery relocated to 300 Broome Street in the Lower East Side.

The Fund for Park Avenue relies solely on contributions from the community to plant, light and maintain the trees and flowers on the Park Avenue Malls. The Fund’s Sculpture Advisory Committee was formed in 2000 to recommend artwork for temporary display on the Park Avenue Malls. For more information, please visit fundforparkavenue.org.

In 2017 NYC Parks’ Art in the Parks program celebrates 50 years of bringing contemporary public artworks to the city’s parks, making New York City one of the world’s largest open-air galleries. The agency has consistently fostered the creation and installation of temporary public art in parks throughout the five boroughs. Since 1967, NYC Parks has collaborated with arts organizations and artists to produce over 2,000 public artworks by 1,300 notable and emerging artists in over 200 parks. For more information about the program visit www.nyc.gov/parks/art.