Brooklyn is the borough where most New York artists work and live, and a new exhibit offers a survey of the work they are creating.
"Crossing Brooklyn: Art from Bushwick, Bed-Stuy and Beyond," at the Brooklyn Museum, features more than 100 works by 35 artists or collectives who live or work in the borough.
The show features mostly installations, sculptures and video works, several of which try to get the audience to interact with the work.
"The Commons" by Paul Ramirez Jonas, invites the public to attach things to a sculpture of a horse made of cork that was inspired by a Roman statue. "D.A.T." stands for Department of Accumulated Thoughts, by artist collective Tatlo. It is a project that documents residents' thoughts. "Obama Skirt Project," by Aisha Cousins, features skirts and dresses with Obama pictures, as an exploration on how black women see the world after Obama.
Brendan Fernandes has an installation in the show that features reproductions of African masks in blinking neon. He is of Indian-Kenyan descent and said he was inspired to do the piece when he saw vendors in Chinatown.
“Why are African masks being sold as New York souvenirs, what does this mean about this mask, how does it function?” he said. “I had just moved to New York and I was starting to think, how do I function?”
Fernandes grew up in Canada and now lives in Greenpoint. He explained the borough has had an important impact on his work. “Brooklyn is a space that allows for community and allows me to continue to think,” he said.
Gordon Hall’s piece consists of a group of sculptures in different shapes and various shades of white. Hall said it's also a set for a lecture performance that explores the role of objects in public speaking. “How the object, just raising yourself up that much on a rectangle gives you the authority to speak and turns your voice into a public voice,” Hall said.
Hall lives in Bed-Stuy and has a studio in Bushwick.
The show is on view until Jan. 4.
