Photos Courtesy of Douglaston Development
Ceremony celebrates the sculpture at new Williamsburg waterfront location
NYC Parks and Douglaston Development held a celebratory ceremony Thursday afternoon to welcome the return of Deborah Kass’ iconic OY/YO sculpture to the Brooklyn community. The sculpture, which officially opened at its new Williamsburg waterfront location on July 13th, will remain on view through July 2018.
“Douglaston’s commitment to Brooklyn has always remained strong being that I was born and raised here, so it was very important that we helped OY/YO find a new home,” said Jeff Levine, Chairman of Douglaston Development. “Our hard work and coordination with NYC Parks and the artist have paid off with this great new addition to the Williamsburg waterfront.”
The sculpture’s new location, the esplanade of the North 5th Street Pier and Park, was built by Douglaston Development in cooperation with theCity Planning Commissionand NYC Parks.
“What is more appropriate than being greeted by a giant yellow ‘YO’ as you step off the ferry into this beautiful North Brooklyn waterfront park, and lamenting ‘OY’ as you leave it to go elsewhere?” said NYC Parks Brooklyn Borough Commissioner Martin Maher. “Deborah Kass’ sculpture has found the perfect home at North 5th Street Pier and Park, where countless New Yorkers and tourists will see it. It represents the epitome of Brooklyn culture – a diverse synthesis of people – and its vibrant hue will put a smile on the faces of all who see it. Parks is proud to showcase this wonderful public artwork, especially in the 50th year of our incredible Art in the Parks public art program.”
OY/YO, the Brooklyn-based artist’s first monumental sculpture, was originally installed in Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Main Street lawn in December 2015 and remained on view until September 2016. The sculpture attracted thousands of spectators, becoming a popular destination for photos, videos and even wedding engagements.
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. Measuring 8 x 17 x 5 ft. and painted bright yellow on aluminum, the sculpture is now situated along the Williamsburg waterfront and is visible from Manhattan’s Skyscrapers, including the Empire State Building. When facing Brooklyn, the sculpture reads “YO,” referring to the urban and Brooklyn slang, as well as the Spanish statement, “I am”. From Manhattan, spectators read “OY,” the popular Yiddish expression.
“The true beneficiaries are the Brooklyn residents who will enjoy this fantastic installation from all of its vantage points and in all of its languages. I know it will be received with the same level of celebration and excitement that it had at its last home,” said Randi Levine, Commissioner at the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian.
“I am very grateful to have this iconic sculpture moved to the North Brooklyn waterfront. It is a true representation of the different cultures found within the borough. Having my sculpture find a home in the art rich area of Williamsburg will ensure its continued popularity,” said artist Deborah Kass.
Other notable opening ceremony attendees included Deputy Borough President for Brooklyn Diana Reyna, Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Martin Maher, and Deputy Director of Public Art Jennifer Lantzas. A reception followed at Douglaston Development’s 1 N 4th Place Resident's Lounge.
Please direct OY/YO media inquiries to Brandon Levesque of Marino at 212-402-3509 orblevesque@marinopr.com.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Deborah Kass employs the visual motifs of post-war painting to explore the intersection of politics, popular culture, art history and personal identity. Kass’s work is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Solomon Guggenheim Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The New Orleans Museum of Art, and The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C., among others. Most recently, The Jewish Museum in New York acquired an OY/YO for their collection.
Recent solo shows at the gallery include “No Kidding,” “feel good paintings for feel bad times,” “MORE feel good paintings for feel bad times” and “My Elvis +”. In 2012, The Andy Warhol Museum presented “Deborah Kass: Before and Happily Ever After, a Mid-Career Retrospective.”
In 2014, Kass was inducted into the New York Foundation for the Arts’ Hall of Fame. She is a member of the Board of the Andy Warhol Foundation and the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program in Dumbo, Brooklyn. Recently, Kass was honored by Coalition for the Homeless Art Walk in 2015, received the 2016 Neuberger Museum of Art Passionate Artist Award and the Jewish Museum Honor in 2017.
Deborah Kass is represented by Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York, Brand New Gallery, Milan and Thao Nguyen Creative Artists Agency.
ABOUT DOUGLASTON DEVELOPMENT
Douglaston Development is a New York City-based real estate development company, specializing in a wide range of projects from mixed-use developments, high-rise luxury rentals and condominiums, affordable and mixed and low-income housing, hospitality, senior communities and commercial spaces. Working in close collaboration with its affiliated construction and management companies, Levine Builders and Clinton Management, Douglaston Development has the advantage of being one of the few owner-builder-managers in the industry with expertise in successful acquisition, ground up construction and management of properties post-development. Over the past 40 years, the company has expanded its portfolio to include properties located in New York, Arizona, Washington and the United Kingdom. The firm’s latest project is called Level and is located at 2N6th Place in Williamsburg. Level is a 40-story building featuring 554 rental units with direct access to the East River Ferry Pier. The property features a sophisticated lobby that overlooks a landscaped courtyard and reflecting pool; an indoor-outdoor swimming pool on the ninth floor with views of the Manhattan skyline; a terrace lounge with fireplace; and, an expansive club lounge with a demonstration kitchen. For more information, please visit:http://www.
ABOUT NYC PARKS
In 2017 NYC Parks’ Art in the Parks program celebrates 50 years of bringing contemporary public artworks to the city’s parks, making New York City one of the world’s largest open-air galleries. The agency has consistently fostered the creation and installation of temporary public art in parks throughout the five boroughs. Since 1967, NYC Parks has collaborated with arts organizations and artists to produce over 2,000 public artworks by 1,300 notable and emerging artists in over 200 parks. For more information about the program visit www.nyc.gov/parks/art.
