MIDTOWN — A 33-foot sculpture of an androgynous figure staring toward the heavens is set to rise on Park Avenue next year.
The work, called "Looking Up," features a steely figure with elongated limbs and its head tilted upward, meant to evoke the complex relationship New Yorkers have with the world above them, said Lauren Wittels who represents the artist Tom Friedman at Chelsea's Luhring Augustine Gallery.
“Since 9/11, the idea of looking up in New York is fraught with anxiety,” Wittels said. “But this sculpture is also charming, awkward, loveable and hopeful.”
The stainless steel structure will stand in the median of Park Avenue between 53rd and 54th streets from February to June.
Friedman is known for making intricate, geometric sculptures from everyday household materials like toothpicks and sugar cubes, but has also been working with more durable, long-lasting materials for this project, Wittels said.
The foundation of "Looking Up" was created using a 3D-printer and then Friedman and his crew texturized the form by pressing frying pans and other household items into the foam material before casting it in stainless steel.
A duplicate of the sculpture currently stands at The Contemporary Austin, in Texas, but the Park Avenue installation will benefit from greater exposure and the ambient light from surrounding buildings and street lights, Wittels said.
Friedman and the gallery have been planning the installation for more than a year, navigating among several city agencies to get the sculpture into place, according to Wittels. But wrangling with the city was worth it to bring the installation into the lives of the busy denizens of Midtown, she said.
“It’s almost like a ruin from another time,” she said. “It feels semi-primitive, and it will provide viewers a respite for contemplation.”
