discovering columbus by tatzu nishi opens to the public in new york city
japanese artist tatzu nishi — known for his temporary artspaces constructed to transform the bystander’s interaction with common monuments or architectural details — opens ‘discovering columbus’ to the public. a stone statue carved in the likeliness of christopher columbus by italian sculptor gaetano russo in 1892 in new york city has been reimagined by nishi with the help of the public art fund.
a perspective picturing the finished interior of nishi’s finished artspace
image by tom powel (main image by go sugimoto / all images courtesy of the public art fund, NY)
nishi’s public artwork consists of a true-to-scale living room which has been built around the celebrated statue. russo’s christopher columbus now seems to be built atop a coffee table placed in the center of the space with three modern seating pieces facing the reinvigorated monument.
gaetano russo’s columbus sculpture
image by tom powel
the stone monument, completed in 1892, has been closed into a living room-like structure
image by tom powel
the wallpaper coating the interior of the temporary space depicts famous american figures
image by tom powel
a visualization of the exterior of the ‘discovering columbus’ space
image by tom powel
the stone-formed columbus peaks through his new living room window to the street-scape below
image by tom powel
an additional view of the temporary platform encompassing the explorer’s monument
image by tom powel
image by tatzu nishi
image by tom powel
panoramic view
image by tom powel
image by tatzu nishi
russo’s sculpture before being built into his impermanent home
image by jesse hamerman, courtesy public art fund, NY
a detailed perspective of the weathered statue
image by nicholas baume, courtesy public art fund, NY
top left to bottom left (clockwise): tatzu nishi: discovering columbus, artist’s concept interior, courtesy of the artist and public art fund, NY; tatzu nishi: discovering columbus, artist’s concept exterior, courtesy of the artist and public art fund, NY; installation of tatzu nishi: discovering columbus (august 2012), photo: jason wyche, courtesy public art fund, NY; portraits & columbus circle: photo: liz ligon, courtesy public art fund, NY
tatzu nishi (10 articles)
tatzu nishi twists reality in solo exhibition at ANOMALY in tokyo
10 questions for tatzu nishi at shenzhen UABB biennale
tatzu nishi constructs hotel around helsinki's market square fountain
tatzu nishi constructs temporary belltower hotel in ghent
tatzu nishi: first look at discovering columbus for new york's public art fund
singapore biennale 2011: merlion hotel by tatzu nishi closes
art news
sho shibuya paints sunrises from a small window onto the new york times
#art
what began as a way to document the days spent at home has grown into a captivating series of paintings.
what began as a way to document the days spent at home has grown into a captivating series of paintings.
barcelona opera house reopens with a concert for more than 2,000 plants
#art
created by spanish conceptual artist eugenio ampudia, the concert for the biocene saw the UceLi string quartet perform ‘crisantemi’ by puccini.
created by spanish conceptual artist eugenio ampudia, the concert for the biocene saw the UceLi string quartet perform ‘crisantemi’ by puccini.
'the urgency to slow down' imagines transportation as giant green planters
#art
as parts of the world return to 'normal' after lockdown, nicolas abdelkader shares his vision of a calmer and more harmonious world.
as parts of the world return to 'normal' after lockdown, nicolas abdelkader shares his vision of a calmer and more harmonious world.
florentijn hofman's gigantic fox wanders through the grey streets of rotterdam
#art
gripping a plastic bag in its jaws, the 16-meter-long fox towers over a congested intersection of the city.
gripping a plastic bag in its jaws, the 16-meter-long fox towers over a congested intersection of the city.
Fab to get close and see his insolent stance. He’s steering right over Central Park — yes folks the boat will run over the Maine monument which supplied the mistaken pretext, via a warship explosion, to start the Spanish-American war. So much history forgotten, packed in a strangely jumbled set of monuments that only really receive close inspection when an artist like Nishi brings us in close to see the pockmarks in the marble.
OMG! this is so impratical! there is no where to put a garden on the south side! so many noxious fumes from autombiles! guests must climb six flights of stairs! I must be missing something!
Seeing as how much raping Columbus did during his ‘greatness’, might be considered apropos. Humanity should be ashamed for its continuance of honoring this bastard.
raped is a strong word. i think it is very original!
Nishi is a plagiarist! How can we accept this as someone else\’s work other than Gaetano Russo\’s. A noble public monument dedicated to teaching& reminding viewers of man\’s potential for greatness has been raped and paraded as a circus freak in the name of individualism and in the diseased guise of art. New York should be ashamed!
That is too cool!!! Does anyone know if you have to buy tickets to get in?