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The planned 2022 commission by Lauren Halsey has been pushed back a year, however, New Yorkers can still take advantage of the gorgeous outdoor space and bar overlooking Central Park!
Claire Leaden - Editor
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s beloved rooftop garden sculpture has been announced, except we won’t be able to catch a glimpse of it until 2023!
Following last year’s soaring As Long as the Sun Lasts, a “26-foot-tall kinetic sculpture featuring the beloved Sesame Street character Big Bird and the modern aesthetic of Alexander Calder’s standing mobiles,” the museum selected LA-based artist Lauren Halsey to create the site-specific installation titled the eastside of south central los angeles hieroglyph prototype architecture (I) for the 2022 commission.
According to the New York Times, the 2022 installation—that was supposed to run from May to October—had to be postponed a year due to “logistical issues.” Instead, the installation will be on view starting in 2023.
This will be the first time the Cantor Roof Garden will have no installation since The Roof Garden Commission series was first established in 2013. However, guests are still invited to enjoy the rooftop’s outdoor space overlooking Central Park with cocktails and lite bites.
And come spring 2023, visitors will be invited to “explore [the eastside of south central los angeles hieroglyph prototype architecture (I)’s] connections to sources as varied as ancient Egyptian symbolism, 1960s utopian architecture, and contemporary visual expressions like tagging that reflect the ways in which people aspire to make public places their own.”
Through the installation “Halsey channels The Met’s unparalleled Egyptian Art collections through the lens of Afrofuturism, while also creating a powerful form of documentation of her neighborhood in South Central Los Angeles.” The work touches on social activism, civic space, and “a reconsideration of the possibilities for architecture and community engagement,” shared a press release.
“Halsey’s activist vision offers a portal into the near future. She has created a monument to living architecture, carved exquisitely with a pictographic vernacular that meshes ancient hieroglyphs with the visual motifs of her home and community,” said Sheena Wagstaff, Leonard A. Lauder Chair of Modern and Contemporary Art. “Like the ancient Egyptians, she anticipates a meaningful afterlife for her work, which will be displayed in South Central Los Angeles after its debut at The Met.”
The work will be on display starting spring of 2023. Learn more here.
Rooftop Hours: Sunday–Tuesday and Thursday: 11 am–4:15 pm; Friday and Saturday: 11 am–8:30 pm; Closed Wednesday
Where: 1000 5th Ave.