If you’ve ever seen
The Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci at
The Louvre Museum in Paris, two things are for certain: 1) Security is jam-packed inside the exhibit and 2) you have to stand in a crowd of overzealous individuals whose only goal is to capture a clean focused picture of the masterpiece.
For a different art viewing experience, how about spending the afternoon in a classically embellished living room leisurely drinking tea with a 13 foot tall sculpture of Christopher Columbus by Gaetano Russo?
Discovering Columbus by Tatzu Nishi located in Columbus Circle, New York, photo from NY Daily News
Starting today,
The Public Art Fund, a non-profit arts organization, will invite the public to personally enter the highly anticipated fortress of solitude at Columbus Circle to meet face to face with the famous mariner of the seas. Japanese artist
Tatzu Nishi is the driving force behind the expedition and his exhibition,
Discovering Columbus. This is not the first time he has constructed “homes” for works of arts. In 2009, he constructed a relaxing home environment that showcased
The Offerings of War and The Offering of Peace by artist Gilbert Bayes at
The Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.
Artist Tatzu Nishi’s War and Peace in Between at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, photo from Kollektor
When Nishi was asked by Julie Lasky of
The New York Times why he chose the monument in Columbus Circle, New York, as his latest location he responded via Japanese translator, “I noticed a lot of public sculptures in New York City are set on a low base, or even without a base, on the ground, compared to the ones in Europe. And I noticed that Columbus is really in a high position. That’s what attracted me. By raising up people’s eyes, you can see things with a different perspective. That’s the important point of it.”
The interior of Discovering Columbus by artist Tatzu Nishi, photo from Design Boom
Getting to the living room is not a simple task. Attendees must walk up a 70 feet scaffolding before they could get acquainted with their patient host, Mr. Columbus. While on top they can also see an absolutely unique and breathtaking view of Midtown, Manhattan. Of course, being accompanied with a famous historical figure for the afternoon is just the icing on the cake.
[Note: The exhibition is going to be held from September 20, 2012 to November 18, 2012 and advance tickets are required to view Tatzu Nishi’s masterpiece. Click here for more information on the exhibit and ticket sales.]
-Paulina Tam
