Seward Johnson sculpted these works of art which are currently scattered throughout downtown Albany, creating a jolt of surreal awareness when something you assume is human out of the corner of your eye suddenly turns inanimate upon closer examination. Those little tricks of perception have always been one of the most fascinating parts of art for me. Tricking the brain and challenging our too-often-unchallenged perspective is a main tenet of art that’s going to matter.
Sculptures like this also beg for some sort of engagement and interaction, even if it’s just posing for a silly selfie with them. We need more of that in this fractured world, and the idea of art as something for everyone is a comfort as we head further toward division. Art unites all of us in ways that little else can.
On a recent lunch break, I took a walk through downtown to see which of these I could find – there are a total of ten in various downtown locations – I managed to locate seven so far. The quest for the remaining three will continue next week.
