New York Unseen
COURTESY OF MARC YANKUS AND CLAMPART
New York Unseen by artist Marc Yankus envisions a city without cars (and often people) by literally removing them from the photographic landscape. At NYC Urbanism we are constantly perusing historic photos of the city, with a common reaction to familiar sites being "look at this block without cars!" Yankus's work allows us to see today's metropolis without the vehicles that now line the streets and surround our landmarks.
Through a unique form of digital collage, I attempt to mute some of the visual noise that can distract viewers from their essential beauty, and in the process help them see their city anew.
This work presents a subtle, surrealistic alteration of the architectural landscape found in New York City, where imagination and documentation meet. Some building portraits are more detailed and others more abstract, but all serve to rebuild and honor the buildings while making a statement about altered perception, reality, and past preservation... Strangely familiar, the buildings are elevated in a fictional composition that appears to tell a story or reflect a past history, but their power resides more in the realm of sensation than explicit narrative... Through this, more people just might see an alternate universe right in front of them, one that is very beautiful and otherworldly. (Marc Yankus)
