New Jamaica art installation sparks conversation
‘Community’ art project at Rufus King Park refl ects on ‘who we are as individuals’
BY TAMMY SCILEPPI
Politics and art have always
been intertwined. Inject
community into the mix,
and you never know what
pops up.
A thought-provoking,
interactive public art
installation by multi-media
artist José Carlos Casado,
in partnership with Queens
Council on the Arts, has
recently popped up in
Jamaica’s Rufus King Park.
Come by soon and check
out these conversationsparking
ArtSite sculptures
now on view through April
2020. Titled, “Community:
you never know your own
language until you study
another,” the work is about
“who we are as individuals in
this society, but especially who
we are within a community,”
according to the artist,
who noted, “The sculpture
represents traditional protest
posters made for different
public manifestations. Where
protest signs normally reflect
someone’s opinion on a
matter, my sculptures become
unique portraits of people
from within the community.”
Casado lives in Harlem
but spends most of his days
in LIC, where his studio has
been located for nine years.
He is originally from Malaga,
Spain, and has lived in NYC
for the past 20 years.
Collaborating with ten
local volunteers, the artist
captured macro images of
the palms of their hands and
ran these photos through 3D
imaging software, creating
an abstraction of the hand.
Each piece, which is a portrait
of an individual in the richly
multicultural community of
Queens, has four elements:
the front is an image of their
hand; the color of the post
is a Pantone color match of
their individual skin color;
the written message on the
poles are words they used to
describe themselves; and the
final element can be seen with
José Carlos Cassado at work on his Community Art project.
Photo courtesy of Queens Council on the Arts
an augmented reality app
designed for the artwork and
is their response (using an
emoji) to the question, ‘What
do you think of the current
situation of this country?’
“I want to represent
the variety of people who
live in Queens: all ages,
races, genders and sexual
orientations. I am unifying
them by the distinctive way of
representing them, but they
still retain their uniqueness,”
Casado explained.
He added: “I’m very
interested in technologies
and how they affect the way
we interact, communicate
and live. My artworks are
always created through a
combination of traditional
and new media techniques.”
On choosing Rufus King
Park (named after Rufus
King, one of the signers of the
U.S. Constitution), Casado
said, “It’s a beautiful park that
plays an important role in the
Jamaica community; a great
location to hang out, relax
and interact with neighbors.
Unfortunately, parks outside
Manhattan do not receive as
much attention from public
art institutions.”
As part of QCA’s 2019
Queens Arts Fund program,
Casado will be creating a
series of art performances
around his “Community”
sculptures: one will take place
this summer and another in
the fall.
Unfortunately, the Rufus
King Park sculptures were
recently vandalized. One was
broken and two were stolen.
But Casado said he’s working
on replacing them in the
coming weeks.
Tues. & Wed. $1895
1 1/4 lb. Lobster, Clams, and Mussels
Served with Corn on the Cob
and Baked Potato
with Purchase of 2 Cocktails,
2 Wines or 2 Beers
46 TIMESLEDGER, JUNE 7-13, 2019 BT QNS.COM
/QNS.COM
