Imran Qureshi Splatters The Met’s Roof Garden For This Summer’s Exhibition
After several summers of elaborate crowd pleasers on the Met's Roof Garden–think Tomas Saraceno's mirrored honeycomb Cloud City last year, and Doug and Mike Starn's soaring bamboo jungle Big Bambu in 2010, both of which almost felt like playground equipment, in a good way–the museum gets far more subdued (and totally 2D) in 2013 with Imran Qureshi's commission. In fact, the Pakistani artist Qureshi has covered most of the 8,000-square-foot terrace with splattered patterns of paint, all the color of dried blood.
The Intricacy of Qureshi's Work
Look closely and you'll see feathered wings, and the whole piece is far more intricate than you might think at first, but from a distance (or taken in at a glance) it looks like some sort of awful crime scene. Which is maybe why people seem reluctant to stand on Qureshi's work, opting instead to huddle around the roof's edges, though that may also be about the cool breezes and spectacular Central Park views. Anyway, after reading about this year's borderline-solemn commission I put off my annual roof garden visit until last week, fearing disappointment. Or, at least, not wanting a summertime buzzkill.
Met's Roof Garden
Expectations appropriately low and granted a beautiful day weather-wise, I actually enjoyed my visit to the Met's Roof Garden more than I imagined I would. True, Qureshi's piece doesn't require a lot of time to take in, and there's really no interaction possible (unless you're like the wag who left a band aid on the ground), but that doesn't mean it's not a fairly impressive spectacle. Think of it this way: if it were a painting hung on a gallery wall, you'd likely be knocked for a loop upon entering the room. Plus, I don't really need much of reason to appreciate spending a little time above the trees.
Imran Qureshi's Roof Garden
Imran Qureshi's Roof Garden commission will be on display through November 3. The Met Roof Garden is open whenever the museum is, weather permitting, which as of now is seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 Sunday through Thursday, and until 9:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. That there's a bar up there makes these latter two evenings popular with the first-date crowd. The Met online has lots more information about Imran Qureshi's Roof Garden!
Posted in NYC Events | Tagged Imran qureshi artist • Imran qureshi metropolitan roof garden • Imran qureshi roof garden • MET roof garden • Met rooftop exhibit • Metropolitan Museum of Art roof garden • Metropolitan museum of art rooftop
