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The Mission To Turn Times Square Into A Massive Art Gallery

Times Square Art Square is a Kickstarter project with ambitions to transform New York’s most famous tourist attraction.

We love seeing art break out of the confines of a gallery to take over public spaces in which you’d never expect to see creative works, which is why we’re excited to see exactly what Times Square Art Square will do when they undoubtedly achieve their Kickstarter goal. Spearheaded by Justus Bruns, the project aims to turn all the advertising space in Times Square into space for works of art for one month out of the year, every year.

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A simple idea, and yet so ambitious that it seems almost impossible at first thought. But citing the success of transformational urban projects in New York like the High Line and +Pool, Bruns is confident that Times Square could be something much more than the garish flood of massive light-up ads that it currently remains year round. And according to the project’s literature, it’s not about creating some sort of stuffy space for art 30 days a year, but rather promoting openness and curiosity.

According to Bruns, “We mean for Art Square to be open to everyone, a high art event devoid of pretension, one in which people can feel free to question, interact with, interpret and criticize art inside a welcoming, public space.”

How refreshing! And perhaps a good reason for New Yorkers to stop avoiding Times Square. After all, it’s worth dealing with the crowds if you’re going to see awesome works of art and not just massive posters for the next action blockbuster. And we were particularly amped by the news that Hrag Vartanian of Hyperallergic, who is serving as chief curator on the project, chose Creator Rafaël Rozendaal as the first artist to show at Times Square Art Square 2013.

If you’re feeling this idea as much as we are, you can contribute to the Kickstarter campaign here.

And below, see our profile on Rafaël Rozendaal to get an idea of what you might see at the very first Times Square Art Square.

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