Exhibition
Jesús "Bubu" Negrón. The Back Portrait
25 Jul 2017 – 27 Jul 2017
Event times
On the High Line at 17th Street:
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Thursday, July 27, 2017
Address
- Friends of the High Line
- The High Line
- New York
New York - 10014
- United States
Jesús “Bubu” Negrón creates sculptures and performances by inserting small gestures into the everyday landscape: for example, creating a carpet out of cigarette butts collected by street sweepers, or mending a cracking bronze public sculpture with a plaster cast.
About
Negrón is inspired by workers who are experts in one area — for example, street sketch artists, gardeners, and artisans — and sees their work not just as a paying job, but as a cultural practice. Negrón himself has worked among experts in these fields, blurring the lines between “artist” and “artisan,” and questioning art world traditions.
For the High Line, Negrón presents a new iteration of his project The Back Project, an ongoing drawing project wherein he draws the backs of willing visitors, and then gives the sitter the original drawing, keeping a photocopy for himself. Sitters are accepted on a first-come-first-served basis.
This work was conceived for the Fiesta de la Calle San Sebastián in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2000, where Negrón took on the role of a street sketch artist, but solely focusing on visitors’ backs. He sold each portrait on a sliding scale, depending on the financial situation of the participant. When the project travelled to Art Miami in 2002, The Back Portraitbecame Negrón’s act of rebellion within the art fair, displayed among high-priced, inaccessible artworks.
