The Art of the Ad

Public Art Fund has long explored ways to insert public art into ubiquitous New York City formats, from manhole covers—as we discussed—to bus shelters to our big, public, ad-covered screens. Public Art Fund first utilized screens as a medium for public art with “Messages to the Public,” which ran on the first electronic billboard in Times Square from 1982 to 1990. The 2017 exhibition “Commercial Break” paid homage to this early endeavor, inviting 23 artists to invade advertising on screens citywide, including Times Square. 

For artist Sue de Beer, Times Square represents the apex of advertising and messaging in New York City and was influential to the development of her “Commerical Break” work. It featured a young activist named Arianna Gil whose feminist skate crew, Brujas, is rethinking the intersection between commerce, education, and politics. We brought Sue and Arianna together to discuss their collaboration and respective practices. We also asked New Yorkers who they would like to see on a billboard in Times Square.

See the Brujas latest collection: https://shop.brujas.nyc/

Support the show