Olek's "Knitting Is For Pussies" At The Christopher Henry Gallery

Christopher Henry Gallery

Crocheted bicycle near the gallery

Crochet artist AGATA OLEKSIAK (Olek) is currently exhibiting her crocheted pad installation called "Knitting is for Pussies" at the Christopher Henry Gallery. The Polish-born artist showcases an entire crocheted pad including crocheted toilet, art frames, flatiron, television set, bathtub, dildo, etc. on the second floor of the gallery. The "well-knit" exhibit has been extended through May. The Christopher Henry Gallery, a renovated church, is located at 127 Elizabeth Street. 


Olek's other famous work was the crocheted "Charging Bull" on Wall Street. Here's a video of Olek in action.

OLEK AND THE CHARGING BULL ON WALL STREET from olek on Vimeo.

The Other CHARGING BULL

In front of 55 Wall Street is this CHARGING BULL sculpture by ARTURO DI MODICA. Not as famous as the bronze sculpture in Bowling Green Park (called the Wall Street Bull or Bowling Green Bull), the silver sculpture was photographed in front of 55 Wall Street, the building erected in 1836 as the City National Bank. In 1998, the building was converted to The Regent Wall Street Hotel which closed in 2003 due to lack of business after the September 11 attacks. The building has now been converted to condominiums by the Cipriani Group.
The Charging Bull is an unofficial symbol of the Financial District, representing optimism. Di Modica created the sculpture after the stock market crash of 1987 as a symbol of the "strength, power and hope of the American people for the future."

CHARGING BULL (WALL STREET BULL): Symbol of Financial Optimism and Prosperity

The sinking economy again dominated the news headlines today, with the Dow Jones industrial average falling below 7,000 for the first time in 12 years. This is a good time to post this photo of the CHARGING BULL (sometimes called the Wall Street Bull or the Bowling Green Bull). A favorite tourist photo op in Downtown Manhattan, this is a 3,200 kg (7,000 pound) bronze sculpture by Arturo Di Modica that sits in Bowling Green park near Wall Street in New York City. The sculpture depicts a bull, the symbol of aggressive financial optimism and prosperity, leaning back on its haunches and with its head lowered as if ready to charge.

The sculpture, one of the city's most photographed artworks, has become a tourist destination in the Financial District. It has also come to be an unofficial symbol of the Financial District itself, and it often appears in the local news media to punctuate stories about optimism in the financial market. (information from Wikipedia).