Will Ryman: Shanghai 6

Shanghai 6 will be Will Ryman’s first presentation at the Parrish Art Museum, installed in the Museum’s south meadow. First presented in 2011, through New York City’s Department of Parks and Recreation, the colossal, painted fiberglass, resin, and stainless steel flowers from the on-going Rose series that the artist began fifteen years ago have since been on view on the grounds of museums and private collections across America and abroad. The installation of Shanghai 6 is traveling to the Parrish from the Yuz Museum in China where it was on display for the museum’s tenth anniversary.

Prized for its beauty, the rose is a universal symbol of love which has been depicted in art and literature for ages. In Ryman’s hands, roses and petals intentionally bloom to an outrageously absurd size meant to consume viewers into a transformed landscape and raise questions associated with capitalism and culture: What does a rose represent to a person? What does it signify for those who tend to a rose or admire one, and what does it mean to those who give a rose, or to those who receive one? By inflating his subject to such an extreme size, and inviting visitors to sit in oversized petals shed around towering stems, Ryman is intentionally creating a surreal space. This relates directly to his work in theater as a playwright and set-builder while prompting viewers to think about the independence and intersection of nature and commerce.

Will Ryman (b. 1969) lives and works in New York City and in Amagansett, New York. The artist is currently working on his first monograph which will include essay contributions from Seth Barrish, Carl Bernstein, Joe Fig, Andrea Glimcher, Eleanor Heartney, Courtney J. Martin, Jérôme Neutres, and Molly Ringwald.

Shanghai 6 is on loan to the Parrish Art Museum courtesy of Will Ryman and Hyphen, New York.

Exhibition Support
The Parrish Art Museum’s programs are made possible, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and by the property taxpayers from the Southampton School District and the Tuckahoe Common School District.