Public Process
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Public Process Commission
Mika Tajima:
Meridian (Gold)
Mika Tajima: Meridian (Gold)
Jun 9–Aug 31, 2016
Mika Tajima, Meridian (Gold), 2016, installation view in Hunter's Point South Park, New York. Pressurized water vapor system, networked LED bulbs, real-time gold commodity indexes, custom analysis program, wood, pigment, sculpted resin. 20 x 144 x 144 inches (50.8 x 365.8 x 365.8 cm). Commissioned by SculptureCenter, New York. Courtesy the artist, 11R, New York and Taro Nasu, Tokyo. Photo: Yasunori Matsui
SculptureCenter was pleased to present Meridian (Gold), a temporary public art project by Mika Tajima. The installation was located in Hunter's Point South Park in Long Island City and was on view from June 9 through August 31. The project was curated by SculptureCenter Executive Director and Chief Curator, Mary Ceruti.
Meridian (Gold) was an illuminated plume of water vapor whose color shifts between magenta and pale cyan. The color of the vapor corresponded in real-time to the global sentiment for gold, reflected in the price fluctuation of the commodity. Gold is a peculiar material that derives its value from the social perception of its qualities and collective "moods" toward geopolitical and economic events. The framing structure for Meridian (Gold) was a seating zone that references communal rejuvenation spas and here becomes a site to reflect on the fleeting materiality of contemporary life. The project was selected by participants in Public Process, SculptureCenter's intensive program for high school students that uses New York City's rich public art landscape to explore the history and impact of public art and its community influence.
Hunter's Point South Park is a waterfront park that was until recently an abandoned post-industrial area. Transformed into a space that offers fun and relaxation to locals and visitors alike, the park includes a central green, playground, dog run, bikeway, waterside promenade and ferry stop, basketball court, and a 13,000 square foot pavilion that contains comfort stations, concessions, and an elevated cafe plaza.
Mika Tajima's (born 1975, Los Angeles, California, USA; lives and works in Brooklyn, NY) work explores the way that the built environment shapes the body and our activities. She earned an MFA from Columbia University (2003), a BA from Bryn Mawr College (1997), and attended The Fabric Workshop and Museum Apprentice Training Program (1997). Her extensive exhibition history of solo and group shows includes many prominent national and international venues, including 11R, New York, NY; Taro Nasu, Tokyo, Japan; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA; The Kitchen, New York, NY; Tensta Konsthall, Stockholm; Mori Art Museum, Tokyo; Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA; and Bass Museum, Miami, FL; among others. Her collaborative work has been featured at the Centre Pompidou, Paris; South London Gallery, London; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco; and in the Whitney Biennial, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Tajima has been profiled since 2011 on New York Close Up, an Art21 documentary film series dedicated to emerging artists who live and work in New York City. Tajima is also part of the music-based performance group New Humans.
About Public Process
Public Process is an intensive program for high school students that uses New York City's rich public art landscape to explore the history and impact of public art and its community influence. In July 2015, eight high school students participated in a two-week course providing interactions and presentations by seasoned professional curators, architects, local historians, and public art organization representatives, and opportunities to visit public art sites. Three artists were invited to make proposals for a public artwork in Long Island City and presented them to the students in their studios. On the last day of the course, the students made presentations and debated the proposals, ultimately selecting Tajima's project for the commission.
About NYC Parks Art in the Parks
NYC Parks Art in the Parks program has consistently fostered the creation and installation of temporary public art in parks throughout the five boroughs. Since 1967, collaborations with arts organizations and artists have produced hundreds of public art projects in New York City parks. For more information visit nyc.gov/parks/art.
Community Opening Day:
11–11:30am
Media Alert: SculptureCenter's Summer 2016 Program
Public Process Commission: Mika Tajima
The New York City Public Art to See This Summer
— Condé Nast Traveler
Vaping Makes Its Way Into Public Art
— Co.Design
All Gold Everything: Mika Tajima's Public Art
— Art in America
In a Queens Park, Art Rises From the Mist
— Wall Street Journal
Mika Tajima's Pink Hot Tub Is the Summmer's Hottest Public Artwork
— Artnet News
Sit In A Sculpture Of Mist And Light At Hunters Point South Park This Summer
— LIC Post
The Public Process program and Meridian (Gold) are presented with generous support from Charlotte Feng Ford and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Knight's Move
May 3–Jul 26, 2010
Studio Visit with Mika Tajima
Thu, Jul 8, 2010
Event, Lucky Draw
Spring Benefit: Lucky Draw 2011
12:00pm Preview Opens 6:00pm Reception Begins 7:30pm Draw Begins