Whimsical Art in Brooklyn Bridge Park: OY/YO sculpture on view through August
By now, you’ve probably seen or heard about Brooklyn-based artist Deborah Kass’ first monumental sculpture in Brooklyn Bridge Park’s newly renovated Main Street lawn. Commissioned by Two Trees Management Company and presented in partnership with Brooklyn Bridge Park, “OY/YO” will be on view through August 2016 and coincides with “No Kidding,” an exhibition of new works by Deborah Kass opening at Paul Kasmin Gallery, Dec. 9, 2015 – Jan. 23, 2016.
Walking the line between respectful homage and brazen appropriation, Kass mimics and reworks the signature styles of iconic 20th century male artists — including Frank Stella, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Ed Ruscha and Robert Indiana — often with a feminist twist. “OY/YO” is sourced from urban and Brooklyn slang, the statement “I am” in Spanish, and the popular Yiddish expression, as a riff on Ruscha’s iconic word paintings.
“OY/YO” has been a significant and reoccurring motif in Kass’ work since its first appearance in 2011, taking form in paintings, prints and tabletop sculptures. For the Two Trees Public Art commission in Brooklyn Bridge Park, a monumental scaled “OY/YO” is presented in yellow painted aluminum measuring 8-by-17-by-5 feet.