Public Art Fund has announced a series of projects to be on view this summer across New York City.
First to be unveiled on June 9 will be Austrian artist Erwin Wurm’s Hot Dog Bus, an overstuffed converted Volkswagen Microbus that will distributing free hot dogs at multiple Brooklyn Bridge Park locations. Hot Dog Bus uses the visual language of Wurm’s Fat Car series and adapts the concept behind his 2015 Curry Bus, presented during his solo show at Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, to serve one of New York’s defining street foods. The project continues Wurm’s interest in eliding the notions of “viewer” and “participant” by creating sculpture that invite action and involvement.
Another mobile and participatory installation, Tauba Auerbach’s Flow Separation, will follow Wurm’s on July 1. Inspired by the angular and energetic “dazzle” camouflage used on ships in World War I and culling upon her experience as a sign painter, Auerbach will redesign the exterior of the historic fireboat the John J. Harvey with abstract patterns inspired by experiments with fluid dynamics. The boat will be anchored at various points around the harbor and will even offer free public trips onboard. The project was co-commissioned with 14–18 NOW, a British arts organization working to commemorate the centenary of WWI.
The final project to be unveiled this summer will be B. Wurtz’s Kitchen Trees, opening on August 7th. Wurtz has devised “trees” of common kitchen products growing to as much as 18 feet high and 12 feet wide, designed to respond to the specific environment of City Hall Park. The whimsical sculptures not only play with the sense of value in art by leveraging everyday objects, but also highlight Wurtz’s concern with recycling and reuse. Kitchen Trees will be Wurtz’s first public commission.
