A Reflective Gateway to Downtown White Plains
Soon, commuters and residents in White Plains will enjoy a new work of public sculpture at 50 Main Street, a Ginsburg Development Company (GDC) property. Artist Georgi Minchev was awarded a commission for the site through an international competitive selection process that was sponsored by GDC and managed by ArtsWestchester. Minchev’s large-scale sculpture, A Fragment of Something Bigger, is a site-responsive work with a reflective surface that explores dynamic play between positive and negative space. Positioned at a highly trafficked corner across from the White Plains MTA Metro North Station, the playful yet elegant work of art is destined to become the City’s answer to Chicago’s Cloud Gate (affectionately referred to as “the bean”) by Anish Kapoor, CBE, RA.
A Fragment of Something Bigger takes the form of a water droplet, interrupted with square voids. The piece is intended to inspire a quiet moment of reflection.
The artist observes: “We perceive more images in today’s contemporary world compared to past periods. This is challenging to us. I decided to use combinations of the basic geometric figures, which are easy forms for the human brain to comprehend.” While the form is simple, the polished stainless steel literally reflects the changing landscape around it, mirroring the sky, buildings and the shifting times of days and seasons.
Minchev, who maintains a practice as an exhibiting sculptor, working primarily in large-scale outdoor works, is also a Professor of Sculpture and Theoretical Disciplines at St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria.
GDC and ArtsWestchester received submissions from 36 highly qualified sculptors. Three finalists were identified from the pool and invited to create scale models. In addition to Minchev, the finalists were Piero Manrique of Mamaroneck and David Provan of Cold Spring.
The sculpture is currently in production at the artist’s studio in Bulgaria, and will be installed in spring 2021.
A version of this article first appeared in the March issue of ArtsNews, ArtsWestchester’s monthly publication. ArtsNews is distributed throughout Westchester County. A digital copy is also available at artsw.org/artsnews.
