RYAN MCGINLEY: MIDNIGHT MOMENT
Press Release
RYAN MCGINLEY: MIDNIGHT MOMENT
Ryan McGinley's Varúð will premiere just before midnight on Monday, July 1st and play nightly 11:57pm - midnight throughout the month. Midnight Moment is a presentation of the Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC) and Times Square Arts. This month's program is presented in partnership with Art Production Fund.
Ryan McGinley's ethereal video, Varúð documents the artistʼs friend Jessica Tang as she traverses the streets of Manhattan in slow motion, leaving a trail of stardust in her wake. McGinley captures a free-spirited and barefoot Tang, impervious to her surroundings as she passes the hectic world around her. McGinley hopes to offer city goers a moment of calm amidst the bustling streets by presenting an homage to the city. "I wanted to bring a childhood innocence to the streets, through a character whose own light and wonder affect the world around her," McGinley explains. "Iʼm always interested in an atmosphere where dreams and reality mingle on equal terms."
Midnight Moment is the largest coordinated effort in history by the sign operators in Times Square to display synchronized, cutting-edge creative content on electronic billboards and newspaper kiosks throughout Times Square every night. The program, formerly known as Times Square Moment: A Digital Gallery, premiered in May 2012 and is organized and supported by the Times Square Advertising Coalition in partnership with Times Square Arts, the public art program for the Times Square Alliance, with additional partners of participating sign holders and artists. Past artists featured in the program include Robert Wilson; Tracey Emin; Björk and Andrew Thomas Huang, JR, Seoungho Cho; Neil Goldberg; Nabil Elderkin, Andrew van der Westhuyzen and Gregory Stern; Vicki DaSilva, Surabhi Saraf, and Elly Cho; Erika Janunger; Takeshi Murata; Bel Borba with Burt Sun and André Costantini; Brian Gonzalez (aka Taxiplasm); and Yoko Ono.
Each night, Times Square becomes a digital art gallery through dazzling visuals on select billboards and newsstands. Every show begins at 11:57pm with a "countdown" that signals the start of the 3 minute nightly presentation. Content changes monthly; selected works are announced in the weeks preceding the start of a new show as are the exact signs participating in that month's selection.
About the Artist
Ryan McGinley is a New York–based artist who was raised in New Jersey. After moving to the city in 1996, he began extensively photographing downtown culture. McGinley’s work is in numerous museum collections, including the Guggenheim Museum, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He has been the subject of monographic exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Kunsthalle in Vienna, MUSAC in Léon, Spain, and MoMA PS1 in New York City. He has had numerous solo gallery and museum exhibitions around the world in cities such as Paris, Amsterdam, London, Athens, Milan, and Berlin. Please visit: ryanmcginley.com
Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC)
Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC) is a trade association comprised of major advertisers, retailers, real estate firms, media companies and other businesses involved in the outdoor sign industry in Times Square, along with organizations representing Broadway and the community. Members of TSAC include: ABC Regional Sports & Entertainment Sales, Clear Channel Spectacolor, Daktronics, D3 LED, Digital Domination, Hines Management, Jamestown One Times Square, Lamar Advertising Company, Landmark Sign & Electric, Metro Media Technologies, Newmark Knight Frank, North Shore Neon, P.R.omotion!, Sherwood Outdoor, SL Green, The Times Square Alliance, The WOW Factor and Thomson Reuters. www.timessquareadcoalition.org
Times Square Arts
Times Square Arts, the public arts program of the Times Square Alliance, presents leading contemporary art and performances in multiple forms and media to more than 400,000 daily visitors to New York City’s Times Square, making it one of the highest profile public arts programs in the United States. Since its inception, Times Square Arts has featured works by a diverse group of more than five dozen prominent and emerging artists. Working in partnership with cultural institutions and festivals, the program is further supported by Rockefeller Brothers Fund and, the Department of Cultural Affairs of NYC. Follow us on Twitter @TSqArts
Art Production Fund
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. Recent projects include: “After Hours: Murals on the Bowery,” NYC, 2011; David Brooks, “Desert Rooftops,” NYC, 2011; Josephine Meckseper, “Manhattan Oil Project,” NYC, 2012; Kiki Smith, “Chorus,” NYC, 2012; Yoko Ono, “Imagine Peace Times Square,” NYC, 2012; Yvette Mattern, “Global Rainbow, After The Storm,” NYC, 2012; Ryan McGinley, “Taxi TV,” NYC, 2013; Tony Smith, “One-Two-Three,” NYC, 2013; "After Hours 2: Murals on the Bowery," NYC, 2013; Tracey Emin, "Roman Standard," NYC, 2013. Please visit: www.artproductionfund.org. @artproductionNY
