In Central Park, Nina Katchadourian Cross-Breeds Nature and Art

THE DAILY PIC: What will park visitors make of her lamppost “nests”?

2015-06-05-Katchadourian

THE DAILY PIC (#1325): There’s nothing I like more than art that barely registers as art; this installation by Nina Katchadourian certainly qualifies. It’s part of Creative Time’s “Drifting in Daylight” project, which has placed pieces in various spots toward the north end of Central Park in New York.

Katchadourian has often messed with nature in her work – the first thing I saw of hers, almost 20 years ago, was an amazing collaboration with spiders. This time, you could say she’s created a pseudo-collaboration: nesty-looking things perching high up in lampposts near sports fields in the park which are entirely her own creations, but make you think she’s had animals as assistants.

When average strollers happen on this latest piece, which doesn’t come with any label, I wonder what they’ll think it is. “Art” doesn’t seem a likely first guess. Maybe they’ll imagine that some gigantic flying creatures, driven north by global warming, have absconded with loose soccer balls and turned them into their homes.

Thanks to Katchadourian, New Yorkers will have lovely images of new Big Birds being born into their city any day now.

Or maybe pterodactyls.

For a full survey of past Daily Pics visit blakegopnik.com/archive.


Follow Artnet News on Facebook:


Want to stay ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the breaking news, eye-opening interviews, and incisive critical takes that drive the conversation forward.
Article topics