Confront Art—which promotes diversity and education in the arts through collaboration between emerging artists and established organizations—is announcing today its inaugural exhibition SEEINJUSTICE, which will be on display for the public beginning October 1st through October 31st in Union Square. The SEEINJUSTICE series will feature three sculptures by Chris Carnabuci: “FLOYD”, “BREONNA”, and “JOHN LEWIS.”
Confront Art is working with the family of George Floyd and their charity “We Are Floyd”, the family of Breonna Taylor and John Lewis’ foundation for the SEEINJUSTICE series, aiming to raise awareness on racism and provide a safe place of healing and community through art.
The exhibition will take place in Union Square, selected for the location’s storied history as a gathering place within New York City for generations to express collective empowerment and to make their voices heard. As a venue that has historically protected the right to free speech and demonstration, Union Square NYC has long brought together people of all ages, races, nationalities, religions, and orientations in the name of community and discourse.
“We are inspired by the important work that Confront Art is doing to support the cause of “We are Floyd,” said Terrence Floyd, George Floyd’s brother. “We are looking forward to an extensive partnership with them as we bring art and creative resources to communities around the country.”
“We founded Confront Art to create art that is inclusive, progressive, and sparks something deep within to discover one’s own creativity and causes,” said Lindsay Eshelman, Confront Art Co-founder.” Our mission is to foster art that is an immersive experience and allow our visual representations to push forward a movement of change and unity.”
“Confront Art’s mission is to inspire people to continue to create art during times of sadness and confusion and to share an awareness of empathy and hope for the future,” said, Andrew Cohen, Confront Art Co-founder.
“As a result of the death of George Floyd, there came a global awareness and understanding of the plague of injustice across the world,” said Chris Carnabuci, Artist of the SEEINJUSTICE series. “The exhibit represents this global understanding, and from understanding comes action and from action comes change.”
“We are honored to work alongside Confront Art in bringing Chris Carnabuci’s SEEINJUSTICE installation to Union Square,” said Jennifer Falk, Executive Director of Union Square Partnership. “As a long-standing venue for public demonstrations in pursuit of social change, we are proud of Union Square’s history as a space for New Yorkers and people from all over to congregate in the name of free speech, a legacy that we will always protect and uphold.”
“We are proud to display Confront Art’s inaugural exhibition through our Art in the Parks program,” said NYC Parks Acting Commissioner Margaret Nelson. “Chris Carnabuci’s statues of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and John Lewis highlight the need for social change and build upon Union Square’s long history as a democratic space where individuals gather to call for equality and justice.”
The final sculptures stand at 10-feet tall on top of a base inscribed with dedications from notable hip-hop artists, social figures, and family members. Each statue layers precision- cut wood to craft a detailed and realistic monument of each subject, based on 3-D models by Daniel and Rodman Edwards.
The exhibition will be on display for one month and available for public view in Union Square in New York City. For more information on Confront Art, visit them here.
About Confront Art
Confront Art was founded by Andrew Cohen and Lindsay Eshelman in 2020, with the mission to promote diversity and education in the arts by creating collaborative opportunities between emerging artists and established organizations. The collective aims to create productions that foster socially progressive art and merchandise. For more information on Confront Art, visit here.
About We Are Floyd
WE ARE FLOYD is a 501C3 led by Terrence Floyd, George Floyd’s brother. We Are Floyd supports initiatives to help communities dealing with mental health issues, poverty, police brutality, and social injustice. In the name of George Floyd, We Are Floyd partners with existing community-centric organizations, bringing awareness to issues surrounding underserved communities, highlighting the lack of educational programs, and promoting change and progress. For more information on We Are Floyd, please visit them here.
Sculptor – Chris Carnabuci
Chris Carnabuci is a New York based artist & sculptor. He has been creating work for commercial accounts and private collectors for the past two decades. In 2016, Carnabuci began incorporating his skill as a CAD designer to create stacked plate sculptures using a CNC Technique. The process slices a 3D model into a set number of layers, precisely cut and stacked to create an artistic rendition of the original model.
By far his most well-known work, “Mariposita” is a massive sculpture of a female figure emerging from a shell. Composed of over 2500 pieces of CNC cut wood, she stands at over 20FT tall. Created in 2019, Mariposita has exhibited at the Toronto Light Festival, and then again, she was commissioned to exhibit at Electric Daisy Carnival in Mexico City. Chris’ work and Mariposita have been featured in publications such as Forbes, Business Insider, Artsy and many others.
About Union Square Partnership
For over 45 years, Union Square Partnership has been working to ensure the best possible neighborhood for its residents, businesses, and visitors. As the leading advocate for the Union Square-14th Street community, we work to enhance the neighborhood’s quality-of-life by creating a cleaner, safer, and more enjoyable environment. With our vibrant community continuing to evolve and grow, the Union Square Partnership’s role is now more important than ever. We are dedicated to this neighborhood, and work 24/7 to make sure that Union Square remains a phenomenal place to live, work and visit.
#USQArt is an incredible opportunity to bring engaging artwork to one of NYC’s great public spaces. Exhibitions are presented by the Union Square Partnership with NYC Parks’ Art in the Parks program and NYC Department of Transportation’s Art Program in collaboration with selected galleries and artists.
About NYC Parks’ Art in the Parks Program
For over 50 years, NYC Parks’ Art in the Parks program has brought contemporary public artworks to the city’s parks, making New York City one of the world’s largest open-air galleries. The agency has consistently fostered the creation and installation of temporary public art in parks throughout the five boroughs. Since 1967, NYC Parks has collaborated with arts organizations and artists to produce over 2,000 public artworks by 1,300 notable and emerging artists in over 200 parks. For more information about the program visit them here.
