“R-Evolution: Marco Cochrane Sculpture”

Marco Cochrane’s profound artistic trilogy, "The Bliss Project," tells a compelling tale of feminine energy and the quest for gender equality through three sculptures. Drawing inspiration from the monumental art of Burning Man, Cochrane's larger-than-life creations transcend mere art, serving as powerful symbols of empowerment and advocacy.

At the apex of this trilogy stands “R-Evolution,” a towering marvel standing forty-five feet tall. Modeled after the performer and artist Deja Solis, this monumental sculpture breathes life with sixteen motors in its chest area, intricately simulating the rhythms of breathing and feminine energy. Since its debut at Burning Man in 2015, “R-Evolution” has embarked on a journey across the country, drawing audiences with its poignant message and awe-inspiring presence.

Make sure you seize the opportunity to witness the power of “R-Evolution” before it leaves Miami Beach on April 30th!

The Horses

Inspired by the horses who pull tourists in carriages through Central Park as well as the monument of William Tecumseh Sherman on horseback nearby, artist Jean-Marie Appriou created his large equine creations to “stand like surreal sentinels at the entrance to Central Park.” The sculptures are made of clay and foam models cast in aluminum, and tool marks and fingerprints on the wavy sculptures imbue them with “mythological” and “hallucinatory qualities” as well as a “dreamlike energy.” Appriou, born in France, designed the horses so that visitors can interact on and under them. The horses are on display at the Doris C. Freedman Plaza near 59th Street and 5th Avenue in Central Park through August 30, 2020. No, we didn’t climb on them. But we really wanted to.

Come Closer and the View Gets Wider

Come Closer and the View Gets Wider by Rebecca Manson at Tribeca Park may look a little gray and severe. But the structure is intricately designed and made up of thousands of handmade, glazed porcelain parts joined together to make an eight-foot orb. To construct the piece, Manson created tiny porcelain sculptures, each a small bone-like shape, and fused them to the structure made of aluminum and epoxy. The piece “celebrates the idea that small things together amount to something impactful; a monument to collective consciousness.” Manson, who mostly works with ceramics, metal, plaster, and epoxy, says the piece fits perfectly at Tribeca Park. She tells the Tribeca Trib: “I loved the geometry of the space and the idea of this quiet oasis in the middle of this busy Downtown area.”

Pegasus

In ancient legend, Pegasus is the “mythical creature who sprang from the blood of Medusa’s neck.” In famed contemporary artist Damien Hirst’s version, Pegasus is a flying horse encrusted completely with crystals residing in the Brasserie of Light, the Martin Brudnizki-designed restaurant in the British department store Selfridges. The sculpture, standing at twenty-four feet with a thirty-foot wingspan, is Hirst’s largest artwork in London, but isn’t the first time he has used this mythical creature in his work. Businessman Richard Caring says of his latest restaurant in Vogue UK: "The Brasserie of Light is a new look spectacle where the input of Damien Hirst, Martin Brudnizki and the absolute strength of Selfridges; this mix has resulted in what I believe to be something very beautiful. It is about light, make-believe and dreams." Hirst explains: “I love the myth of the Pegasus and this is such an exciting project and I love the scale of it. I hope it’s going to look like something beautiful from another world.”

Trailblazing Women

New York City has only five statues honoring female historical figures. (There are 145 male historical statues.) The five statues include Joan of Arc, Golda Meir, Eleanor Roosevelt, Har­riet Tubman, and the American author Gertrude Stein, pictured above at Bryant Park. Stein’s placement near the New York Public Library reflects her significant literary contributions, including plays, librettos, film scripts, and novels, as well as her influence on American writers. But Stein (and the others) won’t be alone for too much longer. This week during the start of Women’s History Month, NYC First Lady Chirlane McCray announced four more permanent monuments (along with the previously announced statue of Representative Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress) that will honor "the trailblazing women who have helped shape New York City." The statues will depict Billie Holiday, the iconic singer; Elizabeth Jennings Graham, who fought racial segregation in 19th century New York City; Dr. Helen Rodríguez Trías, a leader in pediatrics and public health; and Katherine Walker, one of the first female light house keepers who is credited with saving at least fifty people. "We cannot tell the story of New York City without recognizing the invaluable contributions of the women who helped build and shape it," McCray told reporters at a press conference. “In honoring these four trailblazers today, New Yorkers will have the opportunity to see powerful women who made history receive the recognition they deserve."

Picnic

With temperatures hovering around freezing, gray and overcast skies almost every day, and snow in the forecast, the only way we’re getting through this winter is thinking about lovely summer days to come. And what says summer more than a picnic in the park? Artist Tamara Johnson’s aptly titled Picnic was specifically created for Maria Hernandez Park and the surrounding Bushwick community, and lets us imagine, if only for a moment, that it’s warm enough to eat outdoors. The hand-cast concrete picnic scene “symbolizes the gathering, relaxing and sharing we experience with friends and family” and turns “a temporary happening into a static monument for participation and contemplation.” The sculpture is on display until the first day of spring (March 20).

Triumph of the Human Spirit

Triumph of the Human Spirit is one of the sculptures that the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation is highlighting during Black History Month to honor the African American experience. This fifty-foot granite abstract sculpture, by artist Lorenzo Pace, is inspired by the “Chi Wara” carved antelope headdresses of the Bamana people in Mali, West Africa, and sits within a boat-like structure symbolizing the “middle passage” of enslaved Africans to the West Indies and Americas. Set in Foley Square in downtown Manhattan near the site of a Colonial-era African-American burial ground where as many as 10,000 men, women, and children were interred (residents of African descent in New Amsterdam and New York were enslaved from 1625 until 1827), the sculpture “symbolizes freedom and endurance.” The park’s signage also notes: “Besides its universal message, it was created with the artist’s own personal ancestry in mind, and its granite base contains a replica of the inherited lock and key which were used to enslave his great-great grandfather Steve Pace.”

In Dreams Awake

In Dreams Awake features six large-scale, figural sculptures by Hudson Valley-based artist Kathy Ruttenberg on the Broadway Malls between 64th and 157th Streets. In her first major outdoor installation, Ruttenberg combines human, animal, and plant forms to allow “viewers a moment to escape from New York's urban intensity with dreamlike fables derived from rural settings.” The pieces are made of a variety of sculptural media including patinated bronze, glass mosaic, transparent cast resin, and LED lighting. I had a chance to visit “Ms. Mighty Mouse” on 79th Street and “In Sync” on 72nd Street. Ruttenberg encourages viewers to come up with their own narrative and “multi-layered meaning” of each piece. I think “Ms. Mighty Mouse” is protecting a walnut she found for the winter against other pedestrians who are trying to steal it (but I don’t know what happen to her arms, that’s very concerning!) and “In Sync” tells the story of a tree nymph and half man-half deer who are in love but are walking to the train to get to their desk jobs even though they dream of running off to the country. In Dreams Awake is on display at various points on the Broadway Malls through February 2019. What’s your interpretation?