Art in Progress

The first-ever "Art in Progress" installation was revealed to the public, transforming one of Manhattan's construction sites into a beautiful public art gallery. Presented on behalf of Bombay Sapphire as a part of the gin brand's Stir Creativity initiative, some of New York's top up-and-coming artists, including Ivan Alifan, Adam Lucas, Malik Roberts, Christy Lee Rogers, Matthew Grabelskyand more, redefined the space with exclusive works of art aimed to inspire every passerby. The installation, located in the city's Meatpacking District (14^th Street & 8^th Ave) will be open to the public until this Saturday, September 15.

ABOUT Bombay Sapphire – Art in Progress

New York City is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. But today, Manhattan is home to more than 7,437 active construction sites. And every site is surrounded by hideous wood panel walls that are always painted dark green. These green walls are everywhere and they make the city uglier every time they go up.

Bombay Sapphire has a long history of supporting art and emerging artists, so we asked ourselves, what if these unsightly green walls could be turned into something more inspiring and beautiful?

The result was Art in Progress, a campaign that took over construction sites with art. To pull it off, we worked with some of the top up-and-coming artists and turned these green walls into their canvas.

As a result, we turned awful construction site walls into open air galleries that aim to stir creativity within every New Yorker that passes by. Our hope is that this idea catches on, so that all construction site walls across the city can become places of artistic beauty and inspiration.

FEATURED ARTISTS:

Adam Lucas

Proposed Concept: "Mixed and matched and rearranged, my art has been heavily inspired by the city I surround myself with. And because New York City is brimming with varied culture and visual stimulants, you'll never get the same experience twice. This piece will represent the urban environment I love and be representative of the creative life I've made for myself within the five boroughs."

Malik Roberts

Proposed Concept: "I would like to do a deconstructed portrait which has become a staple in my work. By layering the deconstructed elements of a profile in a single image, my portraits have the effect of a spinning coin, revealing that simple comparisons are often much more complex than they first appear."

Christy Lee Rogers

Proposed Concept: "My work embraces the unique quality of light refraction between the surface and layers of water, and her personal approach is to honor and explore the frailty and beauty of our existence within the elements around us. What I want more than ever is to express and inspire hope and freedom, a sense of wonder and tranquility, to create a safe place to dream wildly, and most importantly to inspire the idea that there are still mysterious, impossibly beautiful things on Earth—not solely in our imaginations. CLR (I see this work as a water spirit looking over and protecting the people of New York City)."

Matthew Grabelsky

Proposed Concept: "My concept for the piece is a standing man in a tux with a panda head. He will most likely be riding the subway. I'll let you know if that changes. None of the guidelines will be an issue."

Michelle Avery Konczyk

Proposed Concept: "I will be painting a full figure, floating within a black backdrop, that is fading out into lines of various colors and hues. The model will be a fully clothed female character. The imagery will speak to a broader audience, while still holding true to my individual perspective as an artist. Because my work is watercolor based, I wanted to let you know my plan of approaching this effort. The paper manufacturers only make paper to a certain size. I'm planning to special order big sheets of paper and work the painting in three sections/strips of paper which will be evenly cut and glued on the panel."

Ivan Alifan

Proposed Concept: "This piece will have a nature theme; trees, body of water, and the earth. I will use the large panel in a vertical manner, relying partly on its grand height to consume the viewer, making the individual feel at one with nature. Exploring the idea of human connection and how it relates to nature, within a city filled with bricks and metals. I will paint with oil on linen, wrapping the linen around the panel."

Joaquin Salim

Proposed Concept: "I will create a piece that will examine the tension between chaos and calm New Yorkers Experience every day. From their quiet homes to the busy and aggressive, yet inspiring city. I will do this by juxtaposing an explosive composition using mundane found objects and compositing them into a clean and minimalistic background. A key part of my process is the magnification, a process I use to showcase elements and textures that we can't see at plain view. So after I am done with the piece, I will amplify it digitally, paste it into the wood and then finish it by hand with different mediums."