W 21st St – Paula’s Pleasure, Jim Hodges, Gentleman’s Relish

When you walk into Paula Copper Gallery, you pass by the long front desk, you turn right then turn left and then … WOW! Paula’s Pleasure smacks you in the face! Mark di Suvero (remember him from Governers Island this summer?) traps you in the force field of this massive new sculpture. You can’t help but circle around, cross under and explore from every angle. It’s enthralling! It’s enormous! And it has a swing!

Next door at Gladstone Gallery, Jim Hodges creates a similar allure. Hodges presents a simple, beautiful grouping of four huge granite boulders, each of which is inlayed with colored, reflective metal. The exterior of this formation remains stagnant, solid rock while the core refracts and evolves in a blend of shimmering color. The result is a mystical, earthy interaction of the elements, and it is powerful stuff!

Before you head back to the real world, pass through Matthew Brannon’s film noir adventure Gentleman’s Relish. This is a collection of prints, paintings and sculptures in varying shades of gray and pink that tells the tale of a private eye and his prime suspect. It’s cheeky and fun and quite lovely to look at (especially with the gallery walls painted a smoothing French Grey).

In the spirit of saucy film noir, treat yourself to a little Spice lunch special. I love the veggie dumplings for the accompanying plum dipping sauce and the SPICE cashew nuts entrée. What’s your favorite?

Ingredients:

Venues: Paula Cooper, Casey Kaplan, Gladstone Gallery

Artists: Mark di Suvero, Matthew Brannon, Jim Hodges

Streets: W 21st Street, btw 8th &11 Aves

Eats: Spice

Map:

Governer's Island - Storm King & Free Bike Fridays

It’s a holiday weekend, and it’s Free Bike Friday on Governors Island, so skip out early and get yourself to the ferry! That loaner is yours for an hour, which is plenty of time to see all of the massive sculptures that make up Mark di Suvero at Governors Island: Presented by Storm King Art Center. I’m telling you, it’s as if this island exists to showcase these monsters of salvaged steel.

Governors Island was down right creepy a few years ago, with its abandoned buildings and desolate grounds, but that eerie feeling has mostly lifted. The addition of di Suvero’s gigantic, industrial-grade sculptures is invigorating. I particularly love Mahatma for its high-flying, anxiety-inducing antics. Watching its shadow shift and change as 7,000 pounds of steel balance and rock atop a single I-beam is like watching an early preview of Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark. Few things in life are more exhilarating.

Don’t worry about finding all 11 sculptures. They are pretty hard to miss. Plus, there is a guided audio tour from your cell phone, and even an app. Mahatma is grouped with three other sculptures at Picnic Point against the stunning backdrop of the Statue of Liberty, the shipping ports, the bridge and the passing ferry. You will want to dismount and spend some time here.

Return your bike and stop inside to watch some cool video footage of di Suvero installing the sculptures. Then, head over to Water Taxi Beach for lunch at Backstage Café. Their “grab and go” picnic baskets offer a smorgasbord of options. Happy 4^th of July!   

Ingredients:

Venues: Governors Island; Storm King Art Center

Artists: Mark di Suvero

Streets: All over Governors Island

Eats: Water Taxi Beach; Backstage Café

Map: