"The Monologue of Ice" - Melting Ice Buddha And Cycle Of Renewal By Atta Kim At The Rubin Museum Of Art

Visitors are encouraged to touch the ice

Atta Kim touching his sculpture

As the ice sculpture melts, a pool of non-potable water accumulates at the bottom. Visitors are welcome to take away some of the water placed in small glass vials to be used for watering a plant to continue the cycle of renewal.

Korean artist ATTA KIM has a new dramatic art installation at the Rubin Museum of Art that was unveiled earlier this evening—a 5 1/2 feet tall, 1,300 pound ice sculpture of a seated buddha. The ice sculpture will remain on view until completely melted, a process that will take several days. The museum will open overnight through the early hours of Saturday morning and into regular museum hours, closing at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. The sculpture will then remain on view during normal museum hours until Monday at 5:00 p.m. or it has completely melted. As the work melts, museum visitors are encouraged to touch the ice and take home non-potable water from the pool of water at the bottom of the sculpture, using small glass containers that will be provided. It is the artist's intention that the collected water be used to continue the cycle of renewal by watering a plant. This presentation is an extension of Grain of Emptiness: Buddhism-Inspired Contemporary Art, on view through April 11. Atta Kim is known for his long exposure photographs and for the concept of interconnectedness, change and transience in his body of work. The display is open to the public for free. The Rubin Museum of Art is located at 150 West 17th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in Chelsea.