Hidden New York City Art Installations

New York City resident Marc Latamie is an artist who's been working and exhibiting in many countries, including Cuba, Spain, Sweden, and Senegal. Marc Latamie is especially interested in installation art.

While most people know that New York City is home to some of the finest art museums in the world, many may be surprised to learn that free art installations exist all over the city. They can be easy to overlook. For example, in a SoHo loft one can find The New York Earth Room behind a door with a small plaque. Commissioned by the Dia Foundation, the Earth Room is simply a room full of dirt that has been there since 1977.

Another often-overlooked piece of installation art is located right near the trendy High Line park in the Chelsea Market passage. Spencer Finch put together a grid of colored glass blocks to represent the Hudson River. He took a photo each minute for 700 minutes and this installation is the result.

Even Times Square has art installations. The 42nd Street-Times Square subway station actually features a mural painted by none other than pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, commissioned in 1994 by the MTA. Don’t forget to look around as you travel to the famous art museums--you may run into art you would have missed otherwise.

Art Installations

The New York-based artist, Marc Latamie, studied art history and the visual arts at the University of Paris VIII. Marc Latamie has created various art installations. His For Rent series was exhibited at America’s Society.

Created for specific sites, art installations are assembled with the aim of commanding entire spaces for pre-determined periods of time. The concept became prevalent in the 1960s, when conceptual art, Pop art, and Nouveau Réalisme were popular movements. An art installation’s purpose is to bring the viewers into the piece, giving them a perspective that goes beyond viewing two-dimensional artwork. In addition, artists can use installations to engage the other senses, for instance touch and smell. 

One early art installation was the artist Yves Klein’s 1958 work, The Void. The installation displayed the bare, white walls of a gallery. A year later, the space was dramatically transformed by the artist, Arman. The room was filled with garbage, and, as a result, its interior could only be viewed through a window. This installation was named Fullness. Other notable art installations have been created by artists such as Andy Warhol, Edward Kienholz, and Allan Kaprow.