Thursday, September 20th, 2012

UPDATE 11/15: “Discovering Columbus” Art Installation Extended; Free Passes Now Available Through December 2nd (With new video)

UPDATE 10/10: WSJ Review Of “Discovering Columbus”; Tickets Going Fast

If you’ve ever wanted to get up-close-and-personal with the Christopher Columbus monument at Columbus Circle, now’s your chance.

Discovering Columbus, a free and quirky art exhibition, opens today and allows visitors to climb 70 feet above the street and hang out in a fully-furnished, 810 square foot “living room” that has been built around the statue.

Full coverage is available from NYT, ABC, NY Post, and DNAinfo.

The project is the brainchild of Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi, and is sponsored by The Public Art Fund:

Nishi’s project re-imagines the colossal 13-foot-tall statue of Columbus standing in a fully furnished, modern living room. Featuring tables, chairs, couch, rug, and flat-screen television, the décor reflects the artist’s interpretation of contemporary New York style. He even designed wallpaper inspired by memories of American popular culture, having watched Hollywood movies and television as a child in Japan. Discovering Columbus offers both a unique perspective on a historical monument and a surreal experience of the sculpture in a new context. Allowing us to take a journey up six flights of stairs to a fictional living room, Tatzu Nishi invites us to discover for ourselves where the imagination may lead.

The exhibition is open daily from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm, and runs from today (9/20) through Sunday, November 18th.

Tickets are free, but must be reserved at the Public Art Fund’s website.

Thoughts? Cool or weird?

Filed under: Art, Columbus Circle, Entertainment, Events, Free, Landmark, Manhattan, New York City, News, NYC, Openings/Closings, Seniors, Things to do, Upper West Side, Upper West Side Blog, Upper West Side Oddities, UWS 6 Comments »
Tags: Art, art exhibit, Art Installation, Christopher Columbus, Christopher Columbus art, Columbus art exhibit, Columbus Circle, Discovering Columbus, Free, living room in the sky, New York City, NYC, Tatzu Nishi, The Public Art Fund, Upper West Side, UWS