Part of Art Assets’ mission is to bring art into our everyday lives. To that end, we regularly commission artists to create site-specific installations on the balcony at our office. The balcony faces the Queensboro Bridge and the Roosevelt Island aerial tramway, providing artwork not only for ourselves, but also for the thousands of people crossing the bridge and tram every day.
October 2015: Carlo Sampietro
The team at Art Assets is excited to present Sampietro’s The Street is on the Balcony!, a site-specific installation as part of The Balcony Project.
The Urban Sculpture Series celebrates New York City and the objects that inhabit it. Sampietro creates contemporary dioramas that provide commentary on the cultural melting pot of city life, as well as aesthetically elegant designs, often with a touch of the absurd. Here, a police barrier becomes the base of a glass dining table, an “Off Duty” taxicab sign evolves into an FM Radio Lamp, a newspaper dispenser becomes an aquarium, an L Magazine vending machine reflects back on its own sexuality; these are just a few of the unique items that remain a part of his collection today.
Sampietro’s work explores the universal theme that even the largest cities are small villages at heart. Since his debut show of May 2010, his work has received acclaim from The Washington Post, El Pais, Corriere Della Sera, The Financial Times, Interior Design magazine, Elle Decor magazine, and has been mentioned in more than 100 blogs from over 20 countries.
Sampietro is a winner of the Celeste Prize and the A’ Design Award.