Museum Visits

On my visit to Urbis i came across an exhibition called State Of The Art: New York, i found some of the pieces fascinating. The exhibition was about exploring some of the most dynamic and creative cities in the world. The exhibition was put together by sixteen young artists from New York itself, its a celebration of the rich and diverse talent from the big apple.

This piece is called True Yank 2009, by Leon Reid and is exhibited in Urbis and Lincoln Square, Manchester. It is in response to the City Centre of Manchester and an invention on the statue of Abraham Lincoln.

The statue commemorates the thanks offered by Lincoln to the people of Manchester for their support during the Lancashire cotton famine that resulted from American Civil War support, which was born out of the desire to end slavery.

Reid worked with local designers to create a new, updated outfit for Lincoln- one that reflects contemporary Urban fashion and includes the hip hop accessories of baseball caps, medallions and rings.

This piece was by Gandalf Gavan, named untitled 2009. Gandalf creates sculptural installations that combine uniform modules associated with minimalism. In the last three years he has gradually taken his outdoor installations into indoor spaces and become increasingly invested in site specificity.

This piece is by Carolyn Salas and Adam Parker Smith called Holy ghost, 2008. Salas and Smith constructed the piece with everyday materials mined from hardware stores and inherited collections of fabrics.

Around the head of Jesus Christ swarm foam and fabric planks, felt skulls and bones and surgical tubing, all rising in an impossible tower towards the heavens.