Sculpture Meets the Skyline (by Myra Rudin)

 

From April through October, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC commissions and showcases artwork, usually sculptures, on its Rooftop Garden. This open space, even devoid of art, offers wonderful panoramic views of Manhattan’s skyline and greenery from Central Park. When artwork is on display, the scene is particularly captivating when the art blends or juxtaposes with the architectural highs & lows of that same skyline.

The current exhibition (these photos) is by the artist Petrit Halilaj, who was born in Kosovo in 1986 and presently lives in Berlin. He became a refugee during the Balkan wars of the 1990’s and it was mostly during those years that his artistic inspirations took hold.

The title of the exhibition is Abetare, which was taken from the name of his primary school book on the alphabet. The sculptures, of metal, were also created based on his memories of conflict during the war years as well as from scribbles and doodles he documented which were scratched onto the desks from his childhood classrooms as well as from schools in other Balkan countries.

The artist has indicated that “this exhibition is dedicated to all the children whose lives have been interrupted and deeply scarred by wars around the globe.”