NEW YORK – Thanks to an extension of its exhibition due partly to closings during Hurricane Sandy, I was able to get tickets, free to the public, to visit Tatzu Nishi’s Discovering Columbus.

The elevated living room houses the statue of Christopher Columbus, putting a strange spin on public art by hiding something made to be public, but then offering visits to the public for an experience they won’t be able to have otherwise. This public-private is not the only contradiction in the 810-square-foot room, which has been fully furnished, yet home to no one living. Rather, it provides shelter to the man who “discovered” the continent we all call home.

Nishi told the New York Times upon the opening of the exhibit that, “By raising up people’s eyes, you can see things with a different perspective. That’s the important point of it.” The close-up of Columbus messes with your concept of size – the massive proportions of the explorer unnoticed from the ground are enhanced in the small space, and the view of the city becomes part of the exhibit as well. At 70 feet up, you are able to admire the streets circling around Columbus. From so high, the world seems to contradict Columbus by looking flat, New York’s grid laid out neatly, mucked up only by the red brake lights piling up in the holiday traffic.

Experiencing public art so intimately, while participating in a second public art display, is a truly amazing experience.

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