Sunday, April 21st, 2013

ARTCRITICAL PICK: Ugo Rondinone at Rockefeller Plaza

Rockefeller Center is set to receive shamanic spirit this spring. Human Nature is a group of nine monumental stone figures by Ugo Rondinone.  This powerful sculptural tribe, each member of which is between 16 and 20 foot tall, will populate the New York City plaza from April 23 to June 7.

Swiss-born New York resident Rondinone has hewn his totemic personages from massive slabs of bluestone.  These, roughly cut blocks are replete with drill holes and splits from the quarry.

Organized by the Public Art Fund and Tishman Speyer, Human Nature is supported by Nespresso.   The fund’s director Nicholas Baume describes Rondinone’s colossi as “mythical in scale and imagery, visceral in character and impact.”  The series “reconnects the contemporary world with our most ancient origins.”

Complementing his Rockefeller Center installation, Gladstone will present “soul” on May 10, a series of small-scale bluestone figures, a show that promises an intimate yet equally potent sculptural experience.

TEXT BY ILKA SCOBIE, PHOTOGRAPHS BY LUIGI CAZZANIGA

Ugo Rondinone, Human Nature, 2013.  Rockefeller Center, New York, April 23 to June 7.  Photos: Luigi Cazzaniga
Ugo Rondinone, Human Nature, 2013. Rockefeller Center, New York, April 23 to June 7. Photos: Luigi Cazzaniga
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