tony tasset carves 392,486 artists' names onto multicolored monument

tony tasset carves 392,486 artists’ names onto monument
(above) tony tasset, ‘artists monument’
enamel-filled etched acrylic on plywood mounted on two steel shipping containers, 2014
96” x 960” x 96” or (243.8 x 2438.4 x 243.8cm)
photo by joseph rynkiewicz; image courtesy kavi gupta chicago | berlin

the 2014 whitney biennial hosts the work of some of the best known internationally acclaimed artists from around the globe. american artist tony tasset adopts the names of these creatives as one of the mediums in his large-scale public sculpture — presented for the historic exhibition — and engraves them on the façade of a multicolored horizontal volume. overlooking new york’s west side, ‘artists montument’ occupies hudson river park, just near the museum’s future home, currently underway. 392,486 modern and contemporary creators, ranging from vincent van gogh and andy warhol to emerging artists with a single exhibition to their credit, are alphabetically etched on the surface of vibrantly colored acrylic panels. the list of names, unbound by experience level, acclaim or global exposure, symbolically flatten the hierarchies that exist between lauded and unknown artists and instead celebrates the entire community. ‘artists monument’ is, in part, an ironic reaction to art world’s perceived exclusivity, even that of the whitney biennial. it can be seen by the public through may 25th, 2014.

tony tasset
artists monument
enamel-filled etched acrylic on plywood mounted on two steel shipping containers, 2014
96” x 960” x 96” or (243.8 x 2438.4 x 243.8cm)
photo by joseph rynkiewicz; image courtesy kavi gupta chicago | berlin

tony tasset
artists monument
enamel-filled etched acrylic on plywood mounted on two steel shipping containers, 2014
96” x 960” x 96” or (243.8 x 2438.4 x 243.8cm)
photo by joseph rynkiewicz; image courtesy kavi gupta chicago | berlin

tony tasset
artists monument
enamel-filled etched acrylic on plywood mounted on two steel shipping containers, 2014
96” x 960” x 96” or (243.8 x 2438.4 x 243.8cm)
photo by joseph rynkiewicz; image courtesy kavi gupta chicago | berlin

tony tasset
artists monument
enamel-filled etched acrylic on plywood mounted on two steel shipping containers, 2014
96” x 960” x 96” or (243.8 x 2438.4 x 243.8cm)
photo by joseph rynkiewicz; image courtesy kavi gupta chicago | berlin

tony tasset
artists monument
enamel-filled etched acrylic on plywood mounted on two steel shipping containers, 2014
96” x 960” x 96” or (243.8 x 2438.4 x 243.8cm)
photo by joseph rynkiewicz; image courtesy kavi gupta chicago | berlin

tony tasset
artists monument
enamel-filled etched acrylic on plywood mounted on two steel shipping containers, 2014
96” x 960” x 96” or (243.8 x 2438.4 x 243.8cm)
photo by joseph rynkiewicz; image courtesy kavi gupta chicago | berlin