Opening Reception @ La Plaza Cultural: Oct. 11th 4 – 7 PM
Opening Reception @ MoRUS: Oct. 16th 6 – 10 PM
Exhibition Continues @ MoRUS from Oct. 16th to 26th
The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) will present “Shadows:, Wall Disease” by Ryan Legassicke from October 11-12, 2014 at La Plaza Cultural Community Garden, which is located at the corner of 9th Street and Avenue C in the Lower East Side, NYC. A public opening reception will be held in the garden on Saturday, October 11, from 4-7pm.
After two days, the installation will move a block away to MoRUS at 155 Avenue C and will be available for public viewing from October 16-26. A second reception will be held in the museum on Thursday, October 16, from 6-10pm. Both MoRUS and La Plaza were abandoned spaces later reclaimed by the community.
The exhibit consists of five sculptures—life-sized embodiments of sections of walls used to block public access in public spaces. Also included in the museum will be images of the sculptures in various sites in and around Toronto. The walls, from different places and times, come together to embody the idea of how barriers can be used in public space to restrict access and movement. “Shadows: Wall Disease” responds to world events that influence the psychological need, physical manifestation, and the resulting cultural implications of these barriers. Structures represented include the Security Fence used during the 2010 G20 Summit in Toronto, The Berlin Wall, the border fence between Nogales, Sonora / Arizona, the Peace Lines wall in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and the West Bank Separation Barrier in Israel / Palestine.
“The physicality of these walls, and the ideologies they represent, will stand in stark contrast to the space around it, a historic community garden. The exhibition highlights the importance of continuing to work to preserve public spaces as free and open community places,” said Bill DiPaola, co-director of MoRUS.
All work contained in the exhibition are original and produced in Canada. Works are not for sale.
Ryan Legassicke is a Canadian artist who lives and works in Toronto. www.ryanlegassicke.com
La Plaza Cultural Community Garden, NYC www.laplazacultural.com