It’s the largest collection of art made by a single artist to ever be displayed at Rockefeller Center!
In partnership with Art Production Fund, Rockefeller Center is presenting a series of pop-up public art installations appearing in “unique and unexpected locations” across the campus. Each work showcased will be “inspired by the New York City landscape and contemporary life,” said Rockefeller Center.
The current installation includes work from the multi-disciplinary artist Sanford Biggers. The exhibition features paintings, quilts, murals, AR experiences, playlists, and the most notable piece being a 15,280 pound, 25-foot tall “Oracle” sculpture made of bronze. The ginormous installation is located at the Fifth Avenue entrance to the Channel Gardens.
“Oracle” is Biggers’ largest-scale commission to date and effectively welcomes visitors to explore the other works in the exhibit. The bronze giant is actually a continuation of his recent Chimera sculptures, “a series of figurative sculptures created by combining African masks and European figures that explore historical depictions of the body and their subsequent myths, narratives, perceptions, and power.”
“I wanted to do a piece that played with sort of the mythology, mystery, and the architecture, the symbolism that’s already here in Rockefeller Center,” shared Biggers in a Behind the Art tour.
The “Oracle” got it’s name from his personal interest in oracles in antiquity and actually displays a combination of the body of Zeus along with a face and head from regions across Africa.
Oracles are typically known for their mysterious prophecies and wisdom, and this particular oracle will be answering certain queries online throughout the time of the exhibit to create an interactive experience with the work.
You can learn more about the exhibition through the virtual walk through with Sanford Bigger himself below:
The exhibition will be on display through June 29th, 2021 and is completely free and open to the public.
featured image source: RockefellerCenter.com