Genesis Belanger Unveils Public Sculpture In City Hall Park

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Artist Genesis Belanger has presented her first public commission,“Heads or Tails,” a sculptural ensemble now on view at City Hall Park through November 15. The exhibition, organized by Public Art Fund, offers a commentary on the contemporary human condition amidst shifting social and economic dynamics.

Belanger stated to Observer that she consistently aims to create work that resonates broadly and honestly reflects the current moment, noting her excitement about the opportunity to produce an installation for an even wider audience. While her first public and outdoor commission, she identified continuities with her approach to gallery and museum exhibitions, which involves considering the space and environment before developing details and narratives.

The artist explained that she was given significant freedom regarding scale, provided the sculptures did not impede walkways or park access. Her intention was to integrate the artworks naturally with visitors and city life, rather than dominate the site. The political implications of the location were also acknowledged.

For the two main figures, Belanger referenced the tradition of Lady Justice and allegorical personifications of civic virtues in public sculpture. Instead of a conventional heroic bronze figure, she explored the contemporary meaning of such a symbol and the representation of women's bodies in public spaces.“I feel that an allegorical personification of a virtue is probably the most ubiquitous form of public sculpture, and I saw an opportunity to make my own version and to consider what might make it a more relevant symbol for our moment,” Belanger explained.

Consistent with her overall body of work, Belanger depicted women's bodies as fragments. She elaborated:“I think the experience of being a woman is that you are consumed in bits. You are reduced to one part and never taken in your totality.” Her Lady Justice figure is constructed from distinct bodily components with visible breaks, creating a stacked appearance that reflects the contemporary fragmentation of identity. It also highlights the historical representation of the female body through decomposition and recomposition according to changing artistic canons. Belanger further complicated this by using her husband as the model.“Women have been the artist's muse forever, so I thought that, as the artist, shouldn't my muse be a man?” she reflected, drawing a parallel to Michelangelo's use of male models for female figures in the Sistine Chapel. This choice resulted in a more muscular and ambiguous body, avoiding conventionally seductive representations.

The figure's unbalanced stance, with one foot in a heel appearing relaxed and the other bare foot bearing weight, further complicates immediate interpretations. This hybrid body suggests gender fluidity and the possibilities of assembling identity beyond fixed binaries.“If everything is accessible to you, and you can assemble yourself to be whatever you want, then these binaries can break down and become much more fluid,” Belanger noted.

One figure, titled Lady Justice Unbiased, holds an object and adopts a self-conscious posture, resembling someone posing for a selfie. Its face is incomplete, while the reflected image in its hand appears whole. The other figure, Lady Justice Impartial, extends an empty hand, suggesting incompleteness or a desire for fulfillment. The open, empty hands also signify receptiveness and impartiality in accepting truth. Belanger acknowledged that the figures invite reflection on efforts to construct coherent digital identities and narratives in an increasingly fragmented world.

In a fountain intervention, a flock of birds, in the tradition of theatrical garden sculpture, adds liveliness to the water display. These birds also carry a more sobering symbolism by scavenging pennies from beneath the water. Belanger humorously connected this to the affordability crisis and a financialized world where everything is an opportunity to extract unrealized value.“I wanted to create this flock of birds to open a question of why everything is more expensive... It is more expensive because we live in this fully financialized world, in which everything is viewed as an opportunity to extract unrealized value. I wanted the birds to collect even the smallest amounts of unrealized value, as they are scavenging the pennies and these last wishes from the fountain.” Metaphorically, these birds represent private equity figures on nearby Wall Street, extracting even minimal value from a failing capitalist system.

The installation is completed by three potted fruit trees awaiting planting, which prompt reflection on humanity's mediated relationship with nature. Belanger explained her process of developing the trees by translating flattened decorative representations from wallpaper and tapestry into three-dimensional forms.“In the context of our digital lives, nature often feels like a backdrop for a selfie anyway. Does it even need to be real? Are we losing the ability to discern the difference?” Belanger asked. These artificial simulacra of nature appear to be the only greenery available in the urban environment.

The entire ensemble is described as a playful, eclectic remix of canons and tropes associated with outdoor art, from classical statuary evoked by the surreal figures of Justice to Baroque theatrical garden sculpture and ornamental waterbirds.

Source: Observer Arts

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