Sunday, April 30

Celebrating New Installations; P.S.1 Special Projects Program, Spring 2000
"Greater New York," The Print and CD-ROM Exhibition Catalogue

(Long Island City, NY, March 30, 2000). P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center announces a special event on Sunday, April 30th to celebrate the installation of works by Rob Pruitt, Ricardo Ribenboim, and Luca Vitone; new Special Projects by Ethan Crenson, Alix Lambert and Jyung Mee Park; as well as the arrival of the Greater New York catalogue that accompanies the current exhibition occupying P.S.1’s galleries. It will be an afternoon of art, performance, and not-to-be missed conversation, including yearbook-style signings of the catalog, discussions with the artists and countless ricocheting ping-pong balls.

Rob Pruitt recycles pop culture as a constant source in his work. This spring he creates another recycled source: a working outdoor waterfall cascading down the steps of P.S.1. Installed in classical proportion to its site, Evian Waterfall is a ‘minimalist’ sculpture fabricated with an eye to Roman monumentality and a wink to the contemporary obsession with healthy living. This project is made possible in part by EVIAN Natural Spring Water. Rob Pruitt lives and works in New York City. His work is also featured in the exhibition Greater New York.

Ricardo Ribenboim investigates the mathematically exact quality of organic forms. Through the use of computer aided design, he bridges the gap between technology and the natural world. Ribenboim’s 15-foot wooden sculpture will snake through the spaces of P.S.1. Ricardo Ribenboim lives and works in Brazil.

Luca Vitone explores the notion of ‘place’ and its representation through personal and collective experiences. For P.S.1, Vitone has dug a 6’ x 6’ hole in the outdoor galleries, excavating the sounds of Long Island City. Sounds of pre-colonial Lenape Indian communities and 17th century European settlers emanate from "Hole." Vitone has produced site-specific sound works from this series in France and in Italy, where he works and lives. "Hole" at P.S.1 is made possible by Fondazione Adriano Olivetti. Additional funding is provided by Galleria Emi Fontana and The Italian Cultural Institute.

P.S.1 Special Projects Program April 30 – June 2000

The P.S.1 Special Projects Program showcases the work of artists distinguished by the site-specific, process-oriented or audience-oriented nature of their work. Each year, 12 artists have the opportunity to develop and present a newly created project. Throughout the program period, artists will be working with their studio doors open to the public, allowing for an opportunity of exchange between artist and audience. From April 30 to June 2000, P.S.1 will present Special Projects by Ethan Crenson, Alix Lambert, and Jyung Mee Park.

SPECIAL PROJECTS ARTISTS:

Ethan Crenson is the mastermind behind an explosive kinetic performance which will take place on April 30th. The performance Addendum (to the video Fission) will transform Crenson’s special project room by way of hundreds of mousetraps and ping–pong balls, in the tradition of 1940s science demonstrations.

Alix Lambert’s career and persona are inseparable. Her mediums are marriage, divorce, balding, the tattoo and other life events that shape us within society. Identity is the focus of her work at P.S.1 as well. Ethel and Me is a portrait of the artist alongside her doppelganger: her grandmother, Ethel, at the same age. Lambert’s project room will change periodically as new works are created and installed.

Jyung Mee Park has created an installation by layering hand-folded sheets of paper which mark the time and effort of the artist and her collaborators: a group of 400 students from 60 countries who attend the International High School in Queens. The piece is a communal nest, representing the elaborate process of building a new home in the United States. This project was funded by Creative Capital.

The Greater New York booklet and CD-ROM, an historic document of the first curatorial collaboration between MoMA and P.S.1, will be available on April 30. The launch will offer another opportunity to view the exhibition Greater New York before its closing on May 14. Greater New York was installed by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev (Senior Curator), Klaus Biesenbach (Senior Curator), and Russell Haswell (Adjunct Curator) of P.S.1; and Deborah Wye (Chief Curator, Prints and Illustrated Books), Paulo Herkenhoff (Adjunct Curator, Painting and Sculpture) and Laura Hoptman (Assistant Curator, Drawings) of The Museum of Modern Art.

GREATER NEW YORK, THE CATALOGUE

The Greater New York catalogue is comprised of a 2-part set. A forty-page booklet and CD-ROM include curatorial essays and installation shots as well as images, biographies and statements from every artist in Greater New York. As a special feature, the CD-ROM includes 2-minute clips of Greater New York video and audio pieces. Analytical and creative texts about works in the show are provided through the Greater New York Writing Project.

THE GREATER NEW YORK WRITING PROJECT

P.S.1 and MoMA invited New York writers to contribute creative and analytical writings on works in the exhibition. Essays were submitted on line and approximately 40 have been selected for publication on the CD-ROM. Throughout April, writers and artists have gathered in P.S.1’s galleries to discuss their work with the public. April 30th will be the last in this series of gallery discussions.