reviews
Sculpture
May/June 1997 Vol. 16 No. 5
Commissions John Monti
In 1996, the Public Art Fund and the MetroTech Commons Associates commissioned five Brooklyn artists to create works for the Changing Places project.  One artist, John Monti, developed a site-specific work that transformed the commons area of the MetroTech Center, located in downtown Brooklyn, from October 1996 through May 1997.

Monti's work appears to be in motion, a mass of ooze slowly creeping beyond the four trees which seem to mark its original boundaries.  While the outer edges push past the trees, the center of the piece lifts upwards, forming curves that create appealing spots where passers-by can sit and relax.  Monti describes the work as a counterpoint to the well-ordered park setting.  "upon visiting the commons area I was struck by how the placement of every planting, bench, and trash container was extremely considered, thoroughly thought out.  Working within this order interested me: where would I fit?" says Monti.  "Squeezing in like a piece of a puzzle, the work fits snugly, being pinched and pushed, spilling between the spaces of the trees, making its presence known, contrary yet complicit in its space."

- Anne Harnish