Happy Easter and much love from NYC /  by Mirena Rhee

A message from Mirena Rhee.

Here is the short link:

https://bit.ly/happyeasterNYC

I have been thinking long and hard,

while painting.

Here in Manhattan.

But I decided to spare you my lecture,

I will leave it for another time.

This is simply a message of love.

Because I'm not really sure I'd like to think of anything else today.

There are so many things in the world. That could be better, potentially,

we are such marvelous living machines.

We can do anything, we can be anything. We can make wonderful machines and things, we can communicate and convey messages. We can look at the sky and see giraffes.

So, be well NYC, and World, and see you soon.

From me to you, to my favorite city, the city i love, the City that paints and the city that loves artists /  by Mirena Rhee

The sun sets over the Armory show during my #installation and performance March 8th. Feels like years and years ago.
#performance #performanceart @thearmoryshow 
But we will do this and a lot more of it soon!

#wellbeback but it will get better we will get through it, and #NewYork will come together.


My best wishes for all of you to #bewell and #GetWellNY 

#getbetter soon

Courage NYC ! Get Well New York ! A get Well Card from me to You /  by Mirena Rhee

Last Night

I watched the sun

set over New York City.

And I thought,

to tell you

to give you this message.

Courage,

New York City !

Get well, New York.

Because

we're the most awesome city on the planet.

Because we're strong,

because we love each other. We love

our neighbors,

love our friends.

We talk to each other.

We ride on the subway.

We are so very different.

And we live in peace.

Photograph of my performance at The Armory Show right before Covid virus shut down New York city /  by Mirena Rhee

Photograph of my performance right before Covid shut down New York City it was really amazing to see people painting at the Armory Show even holding napkins.

Artists who took part in the Armory show came out to paint, passers by, friends, joggers, art lovers of all ages and walks of life.

Thank you all for painting and for being there to celebrate art and color.

Also - Thank you so much to my photographer who had to deal with changing dates and the weather and my work turning into a kite and all kinds of things, it was amazing to be there together. 

Thank you so much for putting up with changing dates as you know March 7th was a really windy day, and also a very cold day, so it would have turned into a kite chasing adventure, so thank you so much for agreeing to change the dates and having an amazing day on March 8th.

As you know due to security at the Armory Show - Show Security, parking attendants, NYC Park Service, NYPD and the fire department, and the bomb squad - all showed up and I had a nice chat with all of them and everyone was really nice.

It really is a great thing that I showed up early and had the opportunity to meet everyone and everyone got to know me.

We really had the cutest dog as the bomb-sniffing dog - basically I was working in the middle of the lawn and then I looked up and I saw an animal, a dog with a big sign across his chest saying  "BOMB", and then I looked up and there was this bulky guy and of course I had to ask are you a cop and he says yes I'm a cop. The dog ended up sniffing around me and maybe not my bags :). Both the cop and the dog were really friendly we eventually ended up being friends.

Actually the least comfortable interaction I had was with New York City Parks, the only complaint was that I was not supposed to tie anything to a tree branch or a tree, everything else was fair game. Well on March 7th I had very strong winds and everything turned into a balloon and kite adventure so I had to tie everything to a tree. I had to keep everything tied to the tree to prevent everything running into and rolling into traffic.

In addition to taking into account the strong winds, of course I had to deal with the cold.

I had to work during fairly cold weather so I ended up wearing all the clothes I own and of course catching a little bit cold so hopefully not the #covid virus.

Over the course of several days working at the Armory I became friends with a lot of the supporting staff, and they ended up helping me dismantle my stuff at the very end - thank you so much!

Mirena Rhee performance at the Armory Show

Hands Icosahedron was a series of day long works I created using the Icosahedron Structure and the Hands. /  by Mirena Rhee

Over several weeks and over three days - March 5, 7 and 8 - in front of Pier 94 at The Armory Show I continually re-created the structure every morning and collapsed it in the evening. On March 7 I made the structure and used it more or less like a Hands Tent for the day which was also pretty funny and produced different reactions in the public, even in animals :)


A Husky gets really interested in my art :) Cute husky @ 0:44 'He never barks!' the owner said. Wait for the barks...

I had someone stop by to ask if I was making a political work taking pictures of people from inside the tent. I assured the man i was not going to photograph him for political purposes.

Hands Icosahedron at the Armory Show in New York 2020 /  by Mirena Rhee

#performanceart and #installation with public participation - #handsicosahedron #gianthands #gianthandsinmanhattan #art #artist #newyork #armoryshow2020 @thearmoryshow A Structure with Giant Hands, just in time I guess. Thank you for being brave with brushes. I personally plan a bunch of installations around #Manhattan, look out for the #Hands and a bunch of giant hand #painting s

mirena-rhee-hands-icosahedron-perfomance-installation-armory-show-new-york-2020_01.jpg

Next Weekend - Armory Show New York 2020 - I cannot promise a Giant Penis! .. But I can promise Lots of Fun ! Free and Open to the Public - an Interactive Performance and Installation at Pier 94. /  by Mirena Rhee

A couple of years ago during my Memory Replacement Armory Show 2018 performance I had a Giant Penis painted on my back. Penises not only do not bother me - but I have always struggled with our notions of propriety. Penises are great, they ensure the continuation of our human race, and in some cultures they are worshipped greatly. What I think doesn’t need to be worshipped is guns. Guns should be rated the most obscene thing and we should cover our eyes at the sight of a gun, and not of a penis.

Why?

Because the gun takes a life, but the penis gives it.

I cannot promise a Giant Penis this year !!! But I cam promise you are gonna have a lot of fun!

Photo by Ken James - Armory Show 2018

Next weekend, at the Armory Show New York 2020 - Giant Hands Icosahedron.

Free and open to the Public - come see my Performance and Installation with Public Participation, Lamp Shade and Hands Tent. More soon.

Next Weekend - Armory Show New York 2020 - I cannot promise a Giant Penis! .. But I can promise Lots of Fun ! Free and open to the Public - an Interactive Performance and Installation at Pier 94.

Hands Icosahedron, Hands Plex, sculpture and a wearable lamp shade is still at prototype stage - here pictured at DeWitt Clinton park in Manhattan /  by Mirena Rhee

#handsicosahedron #handsplex and keeping the vertices together. At some point the icosahedron did break but this was okay because in this manner I was able to find the weakest link and strengthen it by doubling the dowels.

Here are some stress tests I did over the weekend: