Park update: From September 30 – October 4, the High Line Spur & Moynihan Connector at 30th Street will be closed.
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Kim Beck
Space Available
On rooftops along Washington Street, between West 13th Street and Gansevoort Street
March 4, 2011 – January 2012
Kim Beck presents three sculptures resembling the skeletal framework behind advertising billboards. These blank forms emulate the abounding indicators of the economic recession, such as empty storefronts and “For Sale” signs. Beck’s sculptures have the illusion of depth when viewed from the front, but as visitors move past them, the side views reveal that they are completely flat, cut from perspective drawings and built like theater props.
In October 2011, Beck took her artwork to the sky. The artist worked with a skywriter to inscribe fleeting messages from advertising billboards and storefront signage above New York City. Phrases like “Last Chance” or “Now Open” gradually unfolded, and then faded back into the air, inviting viewers to interpret the language in their own unique way.
Photos by Bill Orcutt.
Artist bio
Kim Beck (b. 1970, Colorado) lives and works in New York and Pittsburgh. Recent solo exhibitions include Mixed Greens, New York (2014); Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis (2013); Gridspace, Brooklyn, New York (2011); and Under New Management, Toronto, Canada (2010). Her work has also been featured in group exhibitions at the Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh (2013); Islip Art Museum, New York (2012); the Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh (2011); P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, New York (2009), and the Kitchen, New York (2009).
Support
This High Line Art Commission is presented by Friends of the High Line and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. High Line Art Commissions are made possible by Donald R. Mullen, Jr. Additional support for Space Available has been provided by The Greenwall Foundation. This program is supported by Vital Projects Fund, Inc, and in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and from the New York State Council on the Arts, celebrating 50 years of building strong, creative communities in New York State’s 62 counties. In-kind support provided by Bumble and bumble.
