There are few places in New York City where one feels as though they have a space of their own. Overlooking the dense foliage of Central Park, the roof garden of the Metropolitan Museum of Art connects art and nature. In our visit to the “Big Apple” last week, we had the opportunity to visit the commissioned work of Pakistan artist Imran Qureshi.
The exterior tile of the rooftop is covered in a crimson paint. At first glance the large stains resemble a Rorschach ink blot, but upon closer inspection the veins of the tile reveal carefully painted petals. The rooftop installation is the first site-specific work Qureshi has created in the United States. He first began painting with red acrylic paint three years ago in response to the bombings in Lahore. The color is both violent in its semblance to blood and a cleansing agent that symbolizes hope and rebirth. Qureshi’s hand painted floral patterns fill the entire rooftop and creep over the shallow walls of roof as if trying to escape into Central Park below. Explore the creation of the roof garden commission.
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