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Seen & Heard: The Trash-Bag Teddy Bear Has Arrived
••• South Korean artist Gimhongsok‘s trash-bag teddy bear sculpture is up in Tribeca Park. It’s smaller than I expected—possibly because Jeff Koons’s “Puppy” created unrealistic expectations. P.S. I hereby name it Hefty.
••• A Shinola ad in the New York Times says that the brand is opening a store in Minneapolis.
••• Something identified on the flyers as “Holiday LLC” is shooting in the Broadway/Warren area on Friday. I reached to @OLV to see if it knows what’s up: “Might be related to the Chris Rock project,” was the reply. “I’ll try to find out (original title of that movie was something holiday).”
••• Don’t forget: The Tribeca Open Artist Studio Tour—a.k.a. the TOAST Art Walk—kicks off this Friday, running through the weekend. If you’ve never been, you really should do it—you don’t have to go to all of the studios, just pick an artist or two whose work you like, and drop by. It’s a treat to see them in their workspaces and talk to them about their work. And if you have done it, then you know that already.
••• Exceed Physical Culture put up some signage on its new Reade Street location.
••• From New Amsterdam Market: “El Poblano Farm, a New Amsterdam Market vendor since 2012, is organizing a limited-membership CSA with Tuesday deliveries of fresh produce to Made Fresh Daily. To learn more click here. We are working with beloved market vendor Flying Fox to create a ‘Fruit CSA'”—now we’re talking!—”whose subscribers will be able receive prime fruit gathered at peak ripeness by fruiterer Maggie Nesciur. The pick-up location will be the Market Office at 223 Front Street. If you are interested in learning more, please send a note to: info@newamsterdammarket.org.”
••• Welcome back, Chambers! The Greenwich-W. Broadway block is two-way for the first time in forever, and the W. Broadway-Church block is looking close. Maybe we should do a pool: Pay $5 and choose a date in the next 12 months when you think the first jackhammering will be.
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14 Comments
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The Teddy-Bear. I need a little help with this. I mean it isn’t beautiful. Okay, Even Goya had his moments of true horror. It isn’t inspirational. Okay. It isn’t shocking. It doesn’t awaken any response except, maybe, so?? I realize that Tribeca is full of children, but this isn’t in a playground. Is it meant for adults? For art lovers? For people who respect originality?
I’m not trying to be snide. Help me understand this please. After all, there are hundreds of artists who might love to create something for this wonderful space. Is there a good artistic reason that I just don’t get why this bear is here?
Why are we all here, betty? Why aren’t we all over there? Why?
Just be Glaad its Hefty and not a cadaver artist!
What if the DSNY mistakenly throws it out during collection?
It’s more likely they’d ticket it
I don’t see the teddy bear being much different than jeff koons’ balloon dogs.
I have no insight concerning the artist’s ideas or other work, but I would imagine the artist is suggesting that we question what is of value in life and what we discard. Koons’ work carries no such concerns. The only similarity between them, it would seem, is a reliance on evoking youth and innocence.
These are garbage bags… it didn’t cost much for the materials…but you have to admit it’s done the job as any piece of art should do. It provoked you to start a discussion about it as any artwork should….
Are they actual bags of trash? I assumed the sculpture was made of some sort of metal, which is why I thought they were similar to the balloon dogs.
It’s bronze.
ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1075824
“In a recent news story about the upcoming spring installation, Nicole Calderon of Tina Kim Gallery said in a statement that Bearlike Construction ‘challenges the viewer to consider the contradictions and blurred boundaries of fact and fiction, originality and the copy, banality and the spectacular.’ […]
“One art critic said of the sculpture: ‘The sculpture appeared to be trash bags, and made me question what I had abandoned along with my childhood.’”
Thank you, Eric, for your great columns and thank you fellow readers for your consistently interesting responses. I appreciate every one of your suggestions.
EriK!!
Since this sculpture arrived last week, it has not stopped being a center of activity and attraction. The moment I saw it I knew it was going to be a WINNER. It deals with so many ideas about art, life, environment, and pranks in such an original and simple way.
Tribeca Teddy (do you think anyone made the “el Teddy’s” connection when they picked it’s placement?) is going to be a major attraction. It is almost always being used an a background for photos. Every passing child is photographed by doting parents in front of or on Tribeca Teddy and a surprising number of adult passers by stop for an extended look and photo.
Personally, I think Teddy is far and away more interesting, personal, and friendly then any of Koons’ balloon creatures