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Rachel Feinstein: Folly

Rachel Feinstein 13
Past Exhibition

Rachel Feinstein: Folly

May 7 – September 7, 2014
Past Exhibition

Rachel Feinstein: Folly

May 7 – September 7, 2014
Rachel Feinstein 13

Folly marks Rachel Feinstein’s first outdoor art exhibition in the United States. The artist’s installation of three sculptures directly references follies—a type of decorative 18th-century building often found in gardens and parks of the aristocracy. Ranging from eight- to twenty-six-feet high, the sculptures are made of flat sheets of powder-coated aluminum with printed drawings on the surface. In a multistep process, she creates these public works from small paper sculptures. Feinstein steps over the influence of much 20th-century sculpture in her work, and instead embraces the movement and ornamentation of Baroque and Rococo art. These inspirations mark her three sculptures. Flying Ship is influenced by a 17th-century comedy about a fool who strives to journey to the moon; Cliff House is modeled on Parisian stage backdrops; and Rococo Hut samples the architecture of Marie Antoinette’s small cottage at Versailles. The artist’s white structures appear almost as phantoms amidst the greenery of the Park, inviting visitors to stroll through her imagination. “Having this setting, a hidden natural jewel situated within the tall skyscrapers of yesterday and today, will be the perfect backdrop for my theatre, where the real people who occupy the Park every day will stand in as commedia dell’arte performers,” she explains. 

Folly marks Rachel Feinstein’s first outdoor art exhibition in the United States. The artist’s installation of three sculptures directly references follies—a type of decorative 18th-century building often found in gardens and parks of the aristocracy. Ranging from eight- to twenty-six-feet high, the sculptures are made of flat sheets of powder-coated aluminum with printed drawings on the surface. In a multistep process, she creates these public works from small paper sculptures. Feinstein steps over the influence of much 20th-century sculpture in her work, and instead embraces the movement and ornamentation of Baroque and Rococo art. These inspirations mark her three sculptures. Flying Ship is influenced by a 17th-century comedy about a fool who strives to journey to the moon; Cliff House is modeled on Parisian stage backdrops; and Rococo Hut samples the architecture of Marie Antoinette’s small cottage at Versailles. The artist’s white structures appear almost as phantoms amidst the greenery of the Park, inviting visitors to stroll through her imagination. “Having this setting, a hidden natural jewel situated within the tall skyscrapers of yesterday and today, will be the perfect backdrop for my theatre, where the real people who occupy the Park every day will stand in as commedia dell’arte performers,” she explains. 

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Abigail Deville: Light of Freedom
Abigail Deville: Light of Freedom, Narrated by Brooke Kamin Rappoport
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