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New Highbridge Park Exhibit Explores the Art of Taking a Load Off

By Lindsay Armstrong | July 2, 2015 4:01pm | Updated on July 6, 2015 8:45am
 Oh Sit! brings together nine works that offer different takes on the chair or sitting.
Art in Highbridge Park
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WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — A new public art project in Highbridge Park invites viewers to sit back and consider a simple everyday object: the chair.

"Oh Sit!" is an exhibition by 14 Sculptors, a group of artists that show together throughout the New York City area.

For the exhibit, nine artists reflected on the idea of sitting or using a chair.

“In a frantic world, finding a chair can be almost impossible and settling comfortably into one can be an enormous satisfaction,” read the exhibit’s description. “Sitting in the wrong seat can cause anxiety and an even pain.” 

The artists’ takes on their subject vary from an industrial-looking metal platform to a silhouette of a person in meditation to what appears to be an elaborate, sequined gown.

The nine sculptures are placed along the esplanade leading to the High Bridge, a pedestrian walkway that spans the Harlem River connecting Manhattan to The Bronx. The High Bridge reopened to the public last month after being closed for 45 years.

Visitors can enter the park near 172nd Street to find the esplanade.

"Oh Sit!" is part of the city’s Art in the Parks program, which collaborates with arts organizations to bring traditional and experimental art to parks across the city.

The exhibit was sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts and the Rockaway Artist Alliance.

The pieces will be on display through Nov. 8.