Iv?n Navarro channels Woodie Guthrie?s famous folk song for a socially relevant installation on display at NorthPark Center. Leave it to NorthPark Center to install internationally lauded art in a space adjacent to Neiman Marcus, Gucci, and Versace. After all, it is known for two things: Achingly elegant shopping and making public art widely accessible to the public. Since its inception, Ray Nasher and his wife, Patsy, sought to make the Center?one of the most stylish havens on our spinning blue globe?a place that made cultural events and museum-quality art part of the daily life of North Texans. Thus, their daughter and her husband, Nancy Nasher and David J. Haemisegger, are continuing a family legacy by bringing new work to Dallas?s most engaging and widely appreciated shopping mecca. This means that area residents who find museum hopping intimidating can now leave behind any hints of stuffiness and see great art in a thoroughly relaxed setting.
The newest piece installed in the Center is work by Iv?n Navarro, a Chilean sculptor who now resides in Brooklyn. He is internationally known for a mash-up of neon, fluorescent, and incandescent light and, in 2009, his work was installed in what is widely considered the top slot in the artistic scene, the Venice Biennale. One of his pieces, This Land is Your Land, has recently been transported from Manhattan, where it was on view at MadisonbSquare Park adjacent to the Flatiron Building, and installed indoors near the plush Nespresso coffee bar on the ground-floor level of NorthPark. Thus, you can grab a caffeinated jolt before taking in Navarro?s sculpture?a piece that pays homage to immigrants, their quest for freedom, and, of course, the eponymous lyrics of Woody Guthrie?s 1940?s folk song. The artist merges multiple themes, all of which call to mind the allure of American democracy and the attendant dreams to which millions of people aspire.
This Land is Your Land consists of three water tower structures that rapidly morph into something far more complex when viewed from below. They are constructed such that neon verbiage and shapes appear to drift into infinity. ?Me/We,? ?BED,? and an image of a ladder appear under each structure; together, they offer a means of contemplating how migrating individuals and populations coalesce while simultaneously giving a nod to their need to thrive and ?ascend? in new and oftentimes harsh environments. The work is thought provoking and inspirational; however, its ability to deftly throw viewers into another dimension via the use of one-way mirrors and reflective surfaces also makes the process fun. It?s an aesthetic bit of legerdemain that is used to good effect by virtue of drawing viewers into a state of contemplative engagement with a serious subject matter.
Navarro has also stated that he likes ?the idea of a reservoir of water…. We must guarantee our water in order to survive. In that sense, the water tanks are containers of primordial knowledge.?Thus, the already complex subject of shifting populations, social constructs, and aspiration are commingled with the artist?s sense of ancient concerns that transcend any particular cultural context. In a word, This Land is Your Land is timeless.
NorthPark, then, remains a game changer in a city where lavish shopping reigns supreme. The Center?s collection features major works by: Andy Warhol, Frank Stella, Mark di Suvero, Joel Shapiro, Jim Dine, James Rosenquist, and others. Thankfully, this important legacy is still thriving with Iv?n Navarro, whose work will be on view until May of 2015. And, of course, it is free to the public. This is your white-hot chance to be nearly scandalously idle, get your Ferragamo fix, and concurrently ramp up your aesthetic IQ. –P