Will Ryman Loves Roses!
on Park Avenue, that is! With snow still on the ground and more in the forecast, we definitely need playwright-turned-artist Will Ryman‘s floral fantasy to remind us that spring is just two months away. As you stroll down Park Avenue from 67th street to 57th street, you can’t help but marvel at the 38 giant red and pink roses and 20 rose petals (six of which are lawn chairs) which have been “planted” along the malls.
Roses Bloom Near The Armory
“The Roses” is a natural extension of Ryman’s last exhibit, “A New Beginning”, which featured an over-sized garden of flowers littered with trash. This time, the crumpled Doritos bag, empty coffee cups and cigarette butts are thankfully not present (due to the Big Apple’s anti-litter campaign) but the roses will be decorated with bugs the size of small dogs.
A New Beginning at the Marlborough Gallery
Inspired by the opening scene of David Lynch’s film Blue Velvet, Ryman wanted to make the roses enormous so that his audience, whether peering up at the blossoms from the street or admiring them from the heights of a 14th floor office, would have “totally different experiences.”
David Lynch's Roses
25' Roses Seen from the Street
While the roses may seem delicate up close, they are actually handmade by the amazing artists at KB Projects of non-traditional materials like plaster, wire mesh, PVC tubes, fiberglass resin and automotive paint. And weighing in at 250 pounds each, these roses will certainly survive the next winter storm or two!
Bugs and Blooms
Needless to say, we will be stopping by and smelling the roses (one of our New Year’s resolutions!) the next time we’re in New York…
P.S. “The Roses” are made possible by the Paul Kasmin Gallery and will be in bloom through May 31st. To see more pictures taken by Hampton Hostess, click here!
Photos via The New York Times, Paul Kasmin Gallery, flickr, New York Post, and Vogue Italia
10 Comments
Wow! One of the 8 billion reasons that I miss living in NYC. These are just incredible!
My sister-in-law lives on Park and was telling me all about them!
Think it is a sign to “stop and smell the roses” –
pve
I just love this FABULOUS installation. Thank goodness there are people out there still willing to fund projects like this (even though the gallery of course receives publicity they still get brownie points in my book)! Can’t wait to see it when I go in on Friday (if the weather will hopefully cooperate!)
One beautiful bouquet!
xo Cathy
Can’t wait to see this live when I am next in NYC! xx
What a great installation…the sign makes it even cuter! x KO
I only wish I could be there in person to see them! I will head to Hampton Hostess for sure. I usually am frightened by bugs any larger than my thumb, but that buggy bloom is really cool! Unless I don’t understand the NYC street numbering system (which is very probable), 10 blocks of this art is what makes the experience even better 🙂 XOXO, Kelly
Would love to be in my favorite city New York smelling the roses. Been out of town so just catching up. Beautiful jewelry yesterday. It looks so vintage and I’m crazy for the sconce in Monday Mood. Have a great week. Mona
This is the best outdoor art installment NYC has seen in a long while. I love that’s up just in time for Valentine’s Day….Roses are Red, etc.
I will be making a trek over to the East side to see them as soon as I can!
xo E
I will definitely have to check this out! NYC is such a fabulous place…there is always something new and exciting! My favorite place in the world!