2014 was a memorable year for us at More Art. The following post is an overview of the past year. We happily welcome 2015 and we wish all of you a very prosperous and joyous year ahead! #HappyNewYear #MoreArtin2015
There were posters up throughout the East and West Village last week of some of the images from Residents of New York. It was interesting to see the juxtaposition of the guerrilla marketing ad-space with Serrano’s portraits of the homeless. Like the exhibition at the W. 4th Street Subway Station, these posters are an alternative to the constant barrage of commercial ad space.
On May 21st we had our public opening for Andres Serrano: Residents of New York at La Guardia Place in the West Village. The weather was perfect and the plaza was filled with great conversation, and of course the stunning images from our collaboration with Andres Serrano. There was a performative element to this event, images were affixed to sign posts and were held throughout the night.
Currently you can see some of the images from Residents of New York, on public phone booths (courtesy of Van Wagner) around Manhattan! If you see one on your daily walk/jog/bike ride around the city feel free to tag it on instagram, twitter, or facebook using the hashtag #ResidentsofNewYork. Here is a list of locations where you can find our Residents of New York phone booths:
Justin Blinder is another Envision New York 2017 artist whose submission addresses gentrification. Vacated uses Google Streetview to highlight the vacant lots where new buildings now stand in gentrifying neighborhoods throughout Brooklyn. The work is ephemeral in the psychical world, but online it exists long after these vacant site become shiny new luxury buildings. The result is a virtual walking tour of gentrification.
Gentrification is a dirty word that is central to the discourse of New York City’s rapidly changing environment. It’s a major concern for longstanding neighborhoods of working class people. There are different perspectives as to whether gentrification hurts or helps the neighborhood’s vitality, but what should be evident to all are the drastic changes in many a neighborhood’s zoning. Old historic buildings are coming down at a swift pace, and new luxurious glass condominiums are popping up in their wake.
