New Yorkers view Columbus statue from artist’s ‘apartment’
Christopher Columbus statue with the AOL Time Warner Center behind it. Photo by Jnn13, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
NEW YORK (AFP) – New Yorkers can now admire the city’s statue of Christopher Columbus up close and personal — so personal that it’s inside an apartment room.
Through November 18, visitors can enter the “Discovering Columbus” apartment built around the statue, located in the downtown Columbus Circle, by Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi.
The 74 square meter (800 square foot) furnished apartment, elevated from the ground by scaffolding, includes large sofas, a television set and a book collection.
The art project was financed with $1.5 million from the Public Art Fund, an organization that presents contemporary art in the city’s public spaces.
“There’s always a way to look at something you think you know from a different point of view,” Nishi told AFP.
“Up until then, the statue was only a small figure. Now they can look at it in the eyes,” he said.
Nishi is known for building temporary structures that place historic monuments in intimate, domestic environments.
New York city officials said they hope to invest $1 million in restoring the weathered Columbus statue, built in 1892 by Italian sculptor Gaetano Russo.
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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Christopher Columbus statue with the AOL Time Warner Center behind it. Photo by Jnn13, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
