MoMA PS1 Brings Rockaway! to Abandoned Buildings at Fort Tilden

The Berlin-based artist Katharina Grosse, who previously transformed the Amtrak corridor in Philadelphia, has given a splash of color, using her unique spray painting technique, to MoMA PS1’s art installation, Rockaway!. The Gateway National Recreation area at Fort Tilden, which was deeply affected by Hurricane Sandy, houses the decaying aquatics building. The building, which was part of a former military base, was painted three shades of red, alternated with white in this large-scale sculptural installation.

The entire process took one week. Since Hurricane Sandy, the structure used for this installation has been deemed unsafe, and will be razed when the installation comes to an end in November. Klaus Biesenbach, curator at large for MoMA PS1, hopes the exhibit will create a dialogue about the surrounding environment and the planning of future storms.

Image courtesy the artist and MoMA PS1. Photo by Pablo Enriquez.

Rockway! is organized in collaboration with the Rockaway Artists Alliance, Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy, National Park Service, Central Park Conservancy, NYC Parks & Recreation and Rockaway Beach Surf Club.  Rockaway! is also a continuation of MoMA PS1’s ongoing collaborative programming alongside the Rockaway Artists Alliance in the Rockaways that began with VW Dome 2, erected in 2013. If you don’t want to take to the roads to see Rockaway!, see it by sea from the ferry “American Princess.”  The exhibit will be on view from July 3, 2016 through November 30, 2016.

Next, read about the Top 10 Secrets of Fort Tilden.