If you’ve been to Westfield Garden State Plaza (actually scratch the if part, we know you have), you know there’s a lot more to it than just killer shopping ... though there’s plenty of that too. From pop-ups to fab food to holiday happenings to indoor playgrounds, the mall also serves as a community gathering spot with plenty of activities, arts, and culture sprinkled in. (Remember last year’s Sistine Chapel replica? Bananas.) Coming up next: A new curated contemporary art collection by heavyweight artists hailing from around the world.
The art itself (slated to arrive this fall) is gallery-and-museum-worthy for sure. Cuban collective Los Carpinteros – made up of multiple Havana-based artists – have created Kosmaj Toy, a large sculpture made of shiny black LEGO® bricks, wood and metal as well as Cuarteto, an installation showcasing congas, drums and a standup bass. Japanese artist Mariko Mori has created a large-scale aluminum sculpture meant to appear as if it has no beginning or end (kind of like our holiday shopping lists) while Brooklynite Timothy Paul Myers – whose work is inspired by stuff he finds at thrift shops, flea markets – has put together a groovy display of 35mm slides illuminated within the life-size frame of a boat. There’s more, of course, but we’ll let you see for yourself.
It’s worth noting that while shopping mall behemoth Westfield has put up temporary displays before, this one will be the first permanent contemporary art collection at one of its locations. And in addition to the actual art, expect community events, tours, artist talks and other events that will center around the collection. How cool is that? Now we can tell our kids, “Back in my day, the mall was mainly for fro-yo and perusing crop tops at Contempo Casuals. Do you know how lucky you are?”
Westfield Garden State Plaza, One Garden State Plaza, Paramus
