FINANCIAL DISTRICT — A historic Wall Street building is getting an artistic overhaul — for about a week.
The Portal art fair is taking over Federal Hall — a national memorial building where George Washington was first sworn in as president in 1789 — bringing 40 emerging artists into the expansive landmark from May 4 through May 10.
The exhibition is organized by artist-run nonprofit 4heads, a group that is no stranger to hosting large art shows in historic spaces. The organization has run a well-received art festival on Governors Island since 2008, staging intricate and whimsical art installations in places including historic army barracks.
Organizers for the first Federal Hall exhibit said along with bringing attention to the work of young artists, they also are excited to engage with the historic venue, which many people pass by on Wall Street, though much fewer actually walk in.
“When we visited Federal Hall, we were so inspired by the architecture," said 4heads co-founder Anthony Zito in a statement. "We saw a tremendous opportunity for artists to engage and connect with this magnificent space that was designed by a famous early American sculptor."
Featured artists will display there works across three floors of the expansive Federal Hall.
Uzbekistan-born, New York-based artist Alexandr Razin, will exhibit a large multimedia sculptures that are akin to "large-scale dream-like creatures and machines that appear poised to either awaken into life or simply topple into a heap of broken parts."
Courtesy of Alexandr Razin and 4heads
French artist Laetitia Soulier, whose photographs layer patterns and objects along with human figures and limbs, will also be featured.
Courtesy of Laetitia Soulier and 4heads
For more information, check out 4heads website.
