Parks & Recreation is pleased to announce the opening of Carole Feuerman’s exhibition Survival of Serena in Petrosino Square, the lively intersection of SoHo, Little Italy, and Chinatown. Located on the northern corner of this recently renovated park, the sculpture will be on view from May 20 through September 23, 2012. An unveiling will take place on Sunday, May 20, at 12:30 p.m. with a reception and artist lecture to follow at Jim Kempner Fine Art at 1:30 p.m.

Petrosino Square offers respite from the heavily trafficked streets and sidewalks of New York City and Feuerman works to achieve a similar effect in her sculpture by capturing peaceful moments that are universally appealing. This tranquil swimmer resting in a dripping inner tube offers the public the opportunity to pause, even just for a moment, engaged and inspired by what stands before them. Survival of Serena seems like a moment frozen in time and exceeds the bounds of mere mimicry to become a larger than life symbol that invites us to consider our physicality and our own stories and commonalities.

Originally debuted in painted resin at the 2007 Venice Biennale, Survival of Serena was named in honor of Venice’s former name La Serenissima, which literally means 'the most/very serene’, a theme which transverses much of Feuerman's body of work. The sculpture went on to win first prize in the Beijing Biennale the following year. The artist has chosen Petrosino Square to unveil her new bronze Survival of Serena for the first time given its proximity to many cultural institutions and diverse neighborhoods.

Carole A. Feuerman was born in Hartford, Connecticut but has lived and worked in New York her entire life. Known for her hyper-realistic sculptures of swimmers and bathers, Feuerman's prolific career spans four decades and across a variety of media including bronze, resin and marble. Survival of Serena is the first of a series of new monumental painted bronze sculptures by the artist.

Mana Contemporary will have two trucks traversing the city highlighting the exhibition this summer.

Parks’ public art program has consistently fostered the creation and installation of temporary public art in parks throughout the five boroughs. Since 1967, collaborations with arts organizations and artists have produced hundreds of public art projects in New York City parks.

Contact
Vickie Karp or Tara Kiernan
(212) 360-1311

Petrosino Square
Intersection of Kenmare Street,
Lafayette Street, & Cleveland Place