GALERIE56

Solution:

At the center of Manhattan’s TriBeCa neighborhood, Galerie56 is nestled into the street-level base of the iconic 56 Leonard – designed by acclaimed architects Herzog & de Meuron, and flanked by the new landmark sculpture by Anish Kapoor. The gallery space at 56 Leonard is conceived as opening its arms to the largest city, the street, and community at large. It reflects our deeply American values of openness, transparency, and celebration of all cultures, welcoming all international cultures to be part of a democratic discourse accessible to all. The art and architectural elements exhibited at the gallery are reflected by the Anish Kapoor sculpture.The gallery space is illuminated 24 hours, thus illuminating the sculpture once the sun goes down, allowing the art to live together in a symbiotic relationship. Through establishing a dialogue with Anish Kapoor’s sculpture, the space not only acts as a physical node on Church Street but acts as a larger metaphorical node in the vast network of artists around the world. The architecture of the space completes at the base, reflecting the building high above the city, and makes a deconstructed interpretation of its intersecting volumes by translating them into a series of intersecting planes within the space.

“Mindel felt that it was important that whoever occupied the space should honor the architecture of the building. The pandemic compounded his convictions”. It was at that moment that SheltonMindel decided to take on the project of creating a cultural center at the base of the Jenga building. In relationship to the pandemic, Mindel added, ‘The darkest moment is when we had the highest hopes,’ ‘that we would come out of this and support the city.’” (Vittoria Benzine, Artnet News)

Through events programming, such as lighting the Anish Kapoor sculpture and the space itself in tandem with the Empire State Building and One World Trade Center, the space will serve as a beacon for the cultural ethos of the City. Through Galerie56’s 86 feet of windows, the space would animate the neighborhood and create a unique openness with the passerby.