THIrd at Bankside

BROOKFIELD

Bronx, 2023

Selected and curated artworks for the Third at Bankside permanent collection. The three 25-story and 17-story towers in Mott Haven, designed by Hill West Architects, Whitehall Interiors and Leong Leong; were developed by Brookfield Properties.

Third at Bankside project is something new, in a neighborhood that is lived history, lived culture, lived experience — alongside the waters that shape our communities.  This selection of art aspires to reflect that.

The artworks selected reinforce the idea of an oasis emanating from the surrounding industrial area. Pulling from the upcoming waterfront esplanade and the Harlem River, the exhibited paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings invite the outside in.

We begin on the first floor, where the works resonate with nature and the American landscape.  Whether the works were created with fire or evoke the presence of earth or water, they absorb the tranquility of their surroundings and inspire a soothing quality to the facility and its common areas. 

On higher floors, pieces are curated towards the function and design of each room.  For instance, playful pieces are designated for the Game Room and the Kids Vestibule (where the paintings depict colorful backgammon boards, taking from the room’s design palette), yet the art throughout the Pool Lounges is selected around the theme of water.

Lastly, and most importantly, the artists behind all of the works, are representative of the neighborhood’s rich multi-cultural past, intricate history, and unfettered future.

The majority of artists featured in this selection are not new to the South Bronx, where their work has been featured in significant public projects with the MTA, Whitney Museum, MoMA, Bronx Museum and other institutions. The rich cultural history of this neighborhood does not lie in a single voice, or one corner of the earth.  For this reason, in my selection you will find works by African American artists as well as artists with cultural heritage in Puerto Rico, Korea, Mexico, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, The Philippines, Iran, Haiti, Cuba, Ivory Coast, Brazil and Dominican Republic to name a few.

It is incredibly important in this project to reflect the growing diversity that makes our communities strong, and that, hand in hand with projects like these, will make them stronger.  Throughout the space, you will find works from disabled artists, artists from LGBTQ+ communities, and those might find a home here 50 years ago, but whose works would not have been at home at MoMA.  This includes women, whose contribution will be reflected in nearly 80 percent of the works.

Community is the pulse of the South Bronx, it is essential to nurture it by inviting it into the space.

Artists included: Jairo Alfonso, Miya Ando, Bahar Behbahani, Jesse Chun, Bethany Collins, Rico Gatson, Leslie Hewitt, Madeline Hollander, Christine Sun Kim, Zak Kitnick, Keira Kotler, Rejin Leys, Kate Liebman, Liliya Lifanova, Groana Melendez, William Jaime Perez, Gabriella Sanchez, Alisa Sikelianos-Carter, Lucien Smith, Adrienne E. Tarver, and Monsieur Zohore.