GENEVIEVE GAIGNARD AT ROCKEFELLER CENTER
Presented in partnership with Tishman Speyer at Rockefeller Center
Press Release
ART IN FOCUS PUBLIC ART PRESENTATION BY
LOS ANGELES-BASED MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST GENEVIEVE GAIGNARD
DISPLAYED IN MULTIPLE LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT ROCKEFELLER CENTER® PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ART PRODUCTION FUND
NEW YORK, NY - Rockefeller Center and Art Production Fund will continue their Art in Focus partnership with a site-specific public art presentation by Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary artist GENEVIEVE GAIGNARD. In compliance with all City and State guidelines, the works will be presented in both prominent and unexpected public and outdoor locations throughout the Rockefeller Center campus that allow for ample social distancing space. Gaignard’s presentation will launch on September 8, 2020.
The images Gaignard presents in the vinyl mural spaces (located at 10 Rockefeller Plaza, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, 50 Rockefeller Plaza and the street and concourse levels of 45 Rockefeller Plaza, as well as outside on Rockefeller Plaza) continue Gaignard’s exploration of race, femininity, class and their various intersections.
The mixed-media installations in the vitrine spaces (located in the lobby of 45 Rockefeller Plaza) combine elements of Gaignard’s photography and installation work to create three unique immersive environments. Using everyday items such as flip flops, a garden hose, sunscreen and more, elements of Gaignard’s photography in each vitrine will come to life as a three-dimensional installation. Seen together, the objects incorporated adjacently to the photography are designed to invite viewers to widen the understanding of Gaignard’s characters and examine the environments more closely.
“To have the opportunity to share this work on such an iconic platform as Rockefeller Center, and to collaborate with Art Production Fund to bring this vision to life, is truly humbling. In these trying times, it is important to remember that We Are More Than A Moment. My hope is that folks can see a reflection of themselves in the work and that it sparks productive conversations around race and identity in America.” - GENEVIEVE GAIGNARD
“It is a dream to present Genevieve Gaignard’s compelling work in the public spaces of Rockefeller Center. There is so much to explore in this exhibition, from Gaignard’s self-portraits, to the detailed and immersive installations in each vitrine... each element of the exhibition invites viewers to stop and consider ideas surrounding beauty, identity and representation. These important conversations come at a crucial moment and we feel honored to present this work to such a large audience.” - CASEY FREMONT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ART PRODUCTION FUND
”What makes the Art in Focus series so special is that by showcasing high-quality art in publicly accessible and unexpected locations, it gives us an opportunity to ensure that every time you visit Rockefeller Center you see something new and have a different experience,” said EB Kelly, Tishman Speyer Managing Director overseeing Rockefeller Center. “We are thrilled to welcome Genevieve
Select photographic works depict Gaignard as a range of unique characters positioned in
elaborate staged environments. As the daughter of a black father and white mother, Gaignard’s youth was marked by a strong sense of invisibility. Gaignard positions her own female body as the chief site of exploration — challenging viewers to navigate the powers and anxieties of intersectional identity.
In addition to photography, select vinyls will feature imagery of Gaignard’s exquisite collage work combining vintage wallpaper and magazine cutouts. This selection of imagery explores notions of representation and media aesthetics, as well as femininity and domesticity.
Gaignard to Rockefeller Center and hope that by providing a platform for artists to display their vibrant works in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, that New Yorkers and all of our tenants can enjoy this incredible art while commuting to the office, enjoying a meal in our public plazas, or shopping at our retailers.”
The 2020 Art in Focus program will include artist presentations by VANESSA GERMAN, RYAN FLORES, and GENEVIEVE GAIGNARD. This year’s program will explore themes surrounding personal identity within the context of historical representation and contemporary American life.
GENEVIEVE GAIGNARD is a Los Angeles based artist whose work focuses on installation, sculpture, and photographic self-portraiture to explore race, femininity, and class. As a biracial woman in America, Gaignard investigates the aesthetic and cultural divide between black and white, a chasm as palpable as it is “invisible.” She interrogates notions of “passing” by positioning her own female body as the chief site of exploration - challenging viewers to navigate the powers and anxieties of intersectional identity. Recent solo exhibitions include, I’m Sorry I Never Told You That You’re Beautiful at Vielmetter Los Angeles, CA (2019), Counterfeit Currency at FLAG Art Foundation, NY (2018), and Smell the Roses, at the California African American Museum, CA (2016-2017). Her work has been included in numerous group exhibitions including the National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C., Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, AR, Studio Museum in Harlem, NY, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, MA and Prospect.4, New Orleans. Genevieve Gaignard received her BFA in Photography from Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, MA, and her MFA in Photography from Yale University, New Haven, CT.
ART IN FOCUS is a multidisciplinary program that showcases installations by contemporary artists inspired by the New York City landscape and contemporary life. Artists featured in the series will have their work displayed in a number of prominent and unexpected public locations throughout Rockefeller Center. Art in Focus is presented in partnership with Art Production Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to commissioning and producing ambitious public art projects, reaching new audiences, and expanding awareness through contemporary art. Past Art in Focus artists include Joana Avillez (Rockefeller Center Holiday Map, December 2018), Hein Koh (Braving the Cold, January-April 2019), Portia Munson (Pink Projects, April-July 2019), LaKela Brown (July-September 2019), Lucy Sparrow (Lucy’s Delicatessen on 6th, September-November 2019), Angelica Hicks (Rockefeller Center Holiday Map, December 2019), Vanessa German (The Holiest Wilderness if Freedom, January-April 2020), and Ryan Flores (Low Lifes: An Upside Down Love Letter, June-September 2020).
ART PRODUCTION FUND is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to commissioning and producing ambitious public art projects, reaching new audiences and expanding awareness through contemporary art. Select past projects include: Elmgreen & Dragset,“Prada Marfa,” Valentine, TX, Ugo Rondinone, “Seven Magic Mountains,” Las Vegas, Jeff Koons, “Seated Ballerina,” Rockefeller Plaza, NYC, Zoe Buckman, “CHAMP,” LA; Raul de Nieves “When I Look In To Your Eyes I See the Sun,” Miami; Lucy Sparrow “Lucy’s Delicatessen on 6th,” Rockefeller Center, NYC; Nancy Baker Cahill “Liberty Bell,” multiple cities, 2020. For more information, please visit artproductionfund.org / @artproductionfund
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