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Orly Genger: Red, Yellow and Blue
Red, Yellow and Blue, featuring Orly Genger’s use of intricately hand-knotted nautical lobster rope covered in paint, transforms three of the park’s lush lawns into colorfully-lined chambers. Each distinct undulating structure — one red, one yellow, one blue — of layered rope is shaped on-site by the artist. She redefines the landscape of the park, creating interactive environments to invite visitors to explore both exposed and hidden spaces. The project is made from 1.4 million feet of rope, equating to nearly 20 times the length of Manhattan, covered in over 3,500 gallons of paint, and weighing over 100,000 pounds. Red, Yellow and Blue employs repurposed rope collected from hundreds of miles up and down the Eastern seaboard, bringing elements of the coastline to the urban setting of Madison Square Park. The title refers to the Abstract Expressionist Barnett Newman’s series of paintings from the late 1960s, Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue? While Genger’s work also summons the minimalist sculpture of Richard Serra and Frank Stella, it amplifies the creative and material traditions of weaving, fiber, and textile artists Sheila Hicks and Lenore Tawney. Genger’s independent contemporary aesthetic emerges outdoors.