♪ >>> COMING UP ON "NYC ARTS," A TRIP TO THE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN FOR A LOOK AT THE EXHIBITION, GARMENTING, COSTUME AS CONTEMPORARY ART, WHICH SHOWS HOW CLOTHING CAN BE TRANSFORMED INTO INSPIRATION AND PER PERFORMANCE ART.

>> IT IS THE FIRST GLOBAL SURVEY OF ARTISTS WHO ARE USING GARMENTS AS A MEDIUM.

THEY ARE MAKING OR ALTERING GARMENTS FOR EXPRESSIVE PURPOSES.

>>> AND A VISIT TO THE BROOKLYN STUDIO OF JOSE, A CUBAN AMERICAN ARTIST, WHOSE WORKS HAVE BEEN ON VIEWING GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS AROUND THE WORLD.

>> I LIKE THE IDEA OF TRANSLATING A PLACE OR EXPERIENCE FROM BEING IN A PLACE INTO A PAINTING.

SO, I'VE IMAGINED MYSELF DISSECTING A WALL INSTEAD OF PAINTING A CANVAS AND IMAGINING THAT WHAT I'M DISCOVERING BY PAINTING IS THE ACCUMULATION OF THE MANY YEARS OF WHAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE DONE.

>>> FUNDING FOR "NYC ARTS" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY -- THEA PETSCHEK IERVOLINO FOUNDATION.

THE LEWIS "SONNY" TURNER FUND FOR DANCE.

THE AMBROSE MONELL FOUNDATION.

JODY AND JOHN ARNHOLD.

ELISE JAFFE AND JEFFREY BROWN.

CHARLES AND VALERIE DIKER.

THE NANCY SIDEWATER FOUNDATION.

THE MILTON AND SALLY AVERY ARTS FOUNDATION.

ELROY AND TERRY KRUMHOLZ FOUNDATION.

AND ELLEN AND JAMES S. MARCUS.

THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY PUBLIC FUNDS FROM THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY COUNCIL.

ADDITIONAL FUNDING PROVIDED BY MEMBERS OF THIRTEEN.

"NYC ARTS" IS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY -- >>> FIRST REPUBLIC BANK PRESENTS "FIRST THINGS FIRST."

AT FIRST REPUBLIC BANK, FIRST REFERS TO OUR FIRST PRIORITY, THE CLIENTS WHO WALK THROUGH OUR DOORS.

THE FIRST STEP?

RECOGNIZE THAT EVERY CLIENT IS AN INDIVIDUAL WITH UNIQUE NEEDS.

FIRST DECREE, BE A BANK WHOSE CURRENCY IS SERVICE IN THE FORM OF PERSONAL BANKING.

THIS WAS FIRST REPUBLIC'S MISSION FROM OUR VERY FIRST DAY.

IT'S STILL THE FIRST THING ON OUR MINDS.

>> AND BY -- >> SWANN AUCTION GALLERIES.

WE HAVE A DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT AUCTIONS.

OFFERING VINTAGE BOOKS AND FINE ARTS SINCE 1941.

WORKING TO COMBINE KNOWLEDGE WITH ACCESSIBILITY.

WHETHER YOU'RE A LIFELONG COLLECTOR, A FIRST-TIME BUYER, OR LOOKING TO SELL.

INFORMATION AT SWANNGALLERIES.COM.

♪ ♪ >>> GOOD EVENING, AND WELCOME TO "NYC ARTS."

I'M MONTEBELLO ON LOCATION AT THE JEWISH MUSEUM, LOCATED AT 57th ON NEW YORK'S FAMED MUSEUM MILE.

IT IS A DESTINATION FOR ART AND JEWISH CULTURE FOR PEOPLE OF ALL BACKGROUNDS.

FOUNDED IN 1904, THE MUSEUM WAS THE FIRST INSTITUTION OF ITS KIND IN THE UNITED STATES AND IS ONE OF THE OLDEST JEWISH MUSEUMS IN THE WORLD.

DEVOTED TO EXPLORING ART AND JEWISH CULTURE FROM ANCIENT TO CONTEMPORARY, THE MUSEUMS OFFERS EXHIBITIONS AND PROGRAMS FOR VISITORS OF ALL AGES.

IT ALSO MAINTAINS A UNIQUE COLLECTION OF NEARLY 30,000 WORKS OF ART, CEREMONIAL OBJECTS, AND MEDIA, REFLECTING THE GLOBAL JEWISH EXPERIENCE OF MORE THAN 4,000 YEARS.

THE MUSEUM'S ROTATING EXHIBITION, SCENES FROM THE COLLECTION, IS A MIX OF THE ANCIENT AND THE NEW.

THE EXHIBITION AS A WHOLE INVITES FRESH RESPONSES FROM VISITORS AND MAY RESONATE WITH PEOPLE OF MANY FAITHS AND BACKGROUNDS.

CONSTELLATIONS EXPLORES UNIVERSAL ISSUES OF THE RELATIONSHIP OF ART TO SOCIETY.

IT CONTAINED SOME OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT WORKS IN THE COLLECTION, INSPIRING CONNECTIONS AND CONVERSATIONS, SPANNING CULTURES, GEOGRAPHIES, AND TIME.

MASTERPIECES AND CURIOSITIES OFFERS AN IN DEPTH LOOK AT A SINGLE OBJECT OR GROUP OF OBJECTS WITHIN A LARGER CULTURAL HISTORICAL OR AESTHETIC CONTENT.

SELECTIONS ARE DRAWN FROM THE -- COLLECTION, THE FORMATIVE SOURCE OF THE TIME OF THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION.

IT INCLUDED SOME 300 EXAMPLES OF DECORATIVE AND CEREMONIAL ART RELATED TO JEWISH SCULPTURE.

INCLUDES PORTRAITS FROM THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION DATING FROM ANTIQUITY TO THE PRESENT.

MOST ARE EITHER BY JEWISH ARTISTS OR DEPICT JEWISH SITTERS.

THEY VARY IN TIME, PLACE, AND MEDIUM.

CURRENTLY ON VIEW IS AN INSTALLATION BY THE LATE AMERICAN SCULPTOR, GEORGE SIEGEL.

IT IS A LIFE SIZE DEPICTION CALLED "ABRAHAM AND ISAAC."

HERE THE ARTIST ADOPTED THE BIBLICAL STORY OF ABRAHAM, WHO WAS COMMANDED TO KENT STATE UNIVERSITY IN OHIO.

"SIGNS AND SYMBOLS" EXPLORES THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ICONIC ELEMENTS OR MOTIFS IN A VARIETY OF WORKS.

THE CURRENT THEME IS THE ZODIAC AND FEATURES A SELECTION OF OBJECTS DRAWN PRIMARILY FROM THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION, RANGING FROM ABOUT 1300 TO THE 1950s.

AND THEY ALL DEPICT ASTROLOGICAL SIGNS.

"TAXONOMIES" IS ORGANIZED AS A CONTEMPORARY CABINET OF WONDERS, WHERE NEARLY 300 WORKS ARE BROUGHT TOGETHER IN EXPECTED AND UNEXPECTED WAYS.

CROWDED WITH WORKS OF ART AND ARTIFACTS OF VARIOUS ORIGINS AND MATERIALS, THE CABINET OF WONDERS IS CONSIDERED TO BE A PRECURSOR TO TODAY'S MUSEUMS.

ON TONIGHT'S PROGRAM, WE WILL VISIT THE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN FOR A LOOK AT THE EXHIBITION, "GARMENTING: COSTUME AS CONTEMPORARY ART."

IT SHOWS HOW CLOTHING CAN BE TRANSFORMED INTO SCULPTURE, INSTALLATION, AND EVEN PERFORMANCE ART.

ON VIEW IS THE WORK OF 35 INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS, SEVERAL OF WHOM WILL BE SHOWING THEIR WORK FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE UNITED STATES.

ALSO INCLUDING ARE MORE ESTABLISHED ARTISTS OF TODAY, SUCH AS JEFFREY GIBSON AND NICK CAVE OR THE LEGENDARY AND PROLIFIC LOUISE.

ALEXANDER SCHWARTZ WILL BE OUR GUIDE.

>> MY NAME IS ALEXANDER SCHWARTZ, AND I'M A GUEST CURATOR HERE AT THE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN.

GARMENTING COSTUMES: C CONTEMPORARY ART, IS THE FIRST GLOBAL SURVEY OF ARTISTS WHO ARE USING GARMENTS AS A MEDIUM.

SO, WHAT WE MEAN BY THAT IS THAT THEY ARE MAKING OR ALTERING GARMENTS FOR EXPRESSIVE PURPOSES.

THEY ARE CREATING INSTALLATIONS, SCULPTURE, AS WELL AS PERFORMANCES THAT LOOK AT COSTUME AND FASHION WITH A CRITICAL EYE.

THERE ARE 35 INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS IN THE SHOW FROM WELL-ESTABLISHED NAMES TO EMERGING VOICES, SOME OF WHOM HAVE NEVER BEFORE SHOWN IN THE UNITED STATES.

THE EXHIBITION BEGINS WITH THIS WORK, "BLUE DAYS," BY THE FRENCH AMERICAN ARTIST LOUISE.

SHE OF COURSE IS A VERY WELL-KNOWN ARTIST AT THIS POINT.

AND SHE'S BEST KNOWN FOR HER SCULPTOR.

BUT SHE ALWAYS USED GARMENTS IN HER PRACTICE.

THIS PARTICULAR WORK IS A KIND OF MOBIAL FORM WITH KIND OF ALTERED VERSIONS OF HER OWN CLOTHING.

H SHE'S LOOKING AT HER OWN PERSONAL HISTORY.

AND SHE'S ALSO THINKING ABOUT HER EXPERIENCES AS A WOMAN, AS A MOTHER, AND THE KIND OF J PSYCHOLOGICAL AND E MOGSAL ASPECTS OF THAT.

THESE ARTISTS WHO ARE THINKING ABOUT HOW CLOTHING IS AN EXPRESSION OF NOT ONLY PERSONAL IDEAS ABOUT GENDER OR GENDER IDENTIFICATION BUT ALSO HOW OUR SOCIETY PROPAGATES CERTAIN IDEAS ABOUT GENDER THROUGH CLOTHING.

THIS WORK IS BY THE ARTIST SIA.

SHE'S LOOKING AT MANY DIFFERENT ARTISTIC TRADITION WHICH COME OUT OF HER OWN PERSONAL BACKGROUND.

HER GRANDPARENTS OWNED A TEXTILE FACTORY IN JAPAN AND SHE LEARNED FROM HER GRANDMOTHER.

THERE ARE ALSO REFERENCES TO AFRICAN AMERICAN QUILT MAKING.

THE WORK SPEAKS TO AN ONGOING PROJECT.

SHE HAS INVENTED HER OWN UNIVERSE, WHICH SHE CALLS NO PLACE.

AND IT'S POPULATED BY A FICTIONAL RACE OF WOMEN CALLED THE EMPATHICS.

IT'S MEANT TO BE FANTASTICAL.

IT'S MEANT TO BE A METAPHOR FOR HOW CULTURES COME TOGETHER.

THESE ARTISTS ARE LOOKING AT THEIR OWN CULTURES, THEIR BACKGROUNDS, THEIR FAMILIES, AS WELL AS HOW CULTURES BOTH COME TOGETHER AND DIFFER THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

THESE WORKS ARE BY THE ARTIST -- WHO PROBABLY IS THE BEST KNOWN PRACTITIONER OF GARMENTING IN THE EXHIBITION.

HE CAME UP WITH THE IDEA FOR THIS IN RESPONSE TO THE RODNEY KING BEATING IN THE '90s.

HE MADE A SUIT OUT OF TWIGS THAT HE DESCRIBED AS A KIND OF ARMOR AGAINST HARM.

ALSO, THE TWIGS MADE A LOUD RUSTLING SOUND WHEN HE MOVED THAT HE DESCRIBED AS, LIKE, AN ALARM TO SHOW THAT HE WAS PRESENT AND ALSO TO WARD OFF DANGER.

HE'S CONTINUED TO MAKE SOUND SUITS IN THE DECADES SINCE THEN, AND THEY'VE EVOLVED A LOT OVER THE YEARS.

ONE OF THESE, WHICH HE ACTUALLY WORE, IS FROM 2006.

IT ALSO INCLUDES THESE AMAZING FACTS THAT ARE HANGING FROM THE TOP PART OF THE SOUND SUIT THAT ARE ACTUALLY MADE OF GROCERY NET BAGS OF THE KIND THAT YOU BUY ONIONS IN OR ORANGES STUFFED WITH EASTER GRASS.

THEY'RE INCREDIBLY COLORFUL, INCREDIBLY VIBRANT, BUT THEY HAVE THIS VERY SPECIFIC POLITICAL STORY BEHIND THEM.

HE ACTUALLY TRAINED AS A DANCER WITH ALVIN.

SO, THEIR PERFORMANCE IS VERY MUCH PART OF WHAT THEY ARE ABOUT.

THIS IS A SOUTH AFRICAN ARTISTS, WHO SHE CALLS SOPHIE.

IN THE EARLIEST WORKS, SOPHIE ALWAYS WORE A BLUE UNIFORM THAT WOULD BE IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZABLE TO SOUTH AFRICANS AS A MAID OR A NANNY'S UNIFORM.

AND THEN OVER TIME, THAT UNIFORM HAS GONE FROM BLUE TO PURPLE AND FINALLY TO RED, WHICH, OF COURSE, SYMBOLIZES POWER.

SHE HAS THESE DOGS THAT ARE BOTH GUARDING HER BUT ALSO AT HER COMMAND.

SO, IT SHOWS SOPHIE AS VERY POWERFUL, IN A WAY RATHER FRIGHTENING FIGURE, AND ONE WHO HAS GONE THROUGH THIS ENORMOUS JOURNEY.

THE PHENOMENON OF ARTISTS USING GARMENTS IN THEIR PRACTICE IS INTERNATIONAL.

IT HAPPENS LITERALLY ALL OVER THE WORLD BECAUSE THERE ARE DIFFERENT DRESS TRADITIONS ALL OVER THE WORLD THAT ARTISTS COMMENT ON AND ANALYZE AND THINK ABOUT IN THEIR WORKS.

>> FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CULTURAL EVENTS IN OUR AREA, PLEASE SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE WEEKLY EMAIL AT NYC-ARTS.ORG/EMAIL.

TOP FIVE PICKS.

WE'LL KEEP YOU UP-TO-DATE ALL YEAR AROUND.

AND BE SURE TO CONNECT WITH NYC ARTS ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, AND TWITTER.

>>> NEXT ON OUR PROGRAM, A VISIT TO THE BROOKLYN STUDIO OF JOSE, A CUBAN AMERICAN ARTIST.

HIS CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED WORKS SPAN A VARIETY OF MEDIUMS, INCLUDING PAINTING, SCULPTOR, VIDEO, AND LARGE SCALE MURALS.

THEY HAVE BEEN ON VIEW IN MUSEUMS IN THE UNITED STATES AS WELL AS CUBA, JAPAN, AND THE UK.

COMPOSED OF LAYERS OF PAINT, GESTURAL DRAWING, AND FOUND MATERIALS, HIS WORK LIES SOMEWHERE BETWEEN ABSTRACTION AND CALLIGRAPHY.

HIS IMAGERY IS INSPIRED BY THE WEATHERED SURFACES OF BUILDINGS FROM THE CITIES THAT HE VISITS ALL OVER THE WORLD.

WHILE ENGAGING THE VIEWERS' IMAGINATION, HIS WORK REFLECTS CONTEMPORARY, POLITICAL, AND SOCIAL ISSUES.

SOME OF HIS PUBLIC WORKS IN OUR AREA INCLUDE MURALS AT THE BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC, BARKLEY CENTER, AND ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER.

>> YOU ALWAYS HEAR STORIES ABOUT ARTISTS STARTING OFF VERY YOUNG.

AND THAT WAS MY CASE.

I WAS IN MIAMI, FLORIDA.

IT WAS THE EARLY '80s, WHEN HIP HOP CULTURE WAS BEING BORN.

AND I FELT VERY MUCH A PART OF THAT.

I STARTING PAINTING WITH MY FRIENDS AROUND THE CITY, PAINTING WALLS.

MY ART TEACHERS ENTERED ONE OF MY DRAWINGS INTO THE SCHOLASTIC ART COMPETITION.

AND THAT EVENTUALLY GOT ME A SCHOLARSHIP TO SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN.

THERE I GOT TO LEARN ABOUT ART MORE FORMALLY, BUT I WAS TRUE TO WHAT I WAS DOING IN MIAMI PREVIOUSLY.

I LIKE THE IDEA OF TRANSLATING A PLACE OR AN EXPERIENCE FROM BEING IN A PLACE INTO A PAINTING.

SO, I'VE IMAGINED MYSELF DISSECTING A WALL INSTEAD OF PAINTING A CANVAS AND IMAGINING THAT WHEN I'M DISCOVERING MY PAINTING IS THE ACCUMULATION OF THE MANY YEARS OF WHAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE DONE.

BUT THEN YOU ALSO HAVE THE ENVIRONMENT, THE SUN, THE WIND, THE RAIN, STORMS.

SO, MY PAINTINGS ARE INSPIRED BY WHAT HAPPENS OUTSIDE.

AND A LOT OF THE TECHNIQUES THAT I BRING INTO THE WORK COME DIRECTLY FROM THINKING ABOUT CONSTRUCTION, DECONSTRUCTION, ABOUT WALLS AND ARCHITECTURAL SURFACE.

WHY DO I PAY ATTENTION TO CITIES THE WAY THAT I DO, OR WHAT AM I LOOKING FOR WHEN I'M WALKING AROUND?

FOR ME, I'M INTERESTED IN FINDING CLUES AS TO WHAT IS THE DIALOGUE THAT I'M HAVING AS AN ARTIST WITH THE WORLD.

I LOVE CHARACTER.

SO, YOU KNOW, EITHER I SEE A CHARACTER THAT I WANT TO PHOTOGRAPH OR I SEE SOMETHING THAT I CHARACTER DID TO A WALL THAT I WANT TO PHOTOGRAPH.

SO, LIKE, THE MARK LEFT BEHIND.

I THINK THE HABIT THAT I'VE DEVELOPED OVER THE YEARS OF LOOKING AT WALLS.

AND IT'S A KIND OF HIEROGLYPHIC THAT EXISTS IN OUR MODERN TIME.

IT'S JUST INTERESTING, AS YOU WALK ALONG, YOU SEE LANGUAGE.

I WAS GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THIS MURAL IN A LIBRARY SETTING, AND I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING THAT WENT TO THE ROOTS OF LANGUAGE.

SO, I LAYERED TONS AND TONS OF WRITING, SORT OF FORM A SEASCAPE OF WORDS.

AND THE WORDS THAT WERE WRITTEN, ALTHOUGH ILLEGIBLE ON PURPOSE, ARE THE NAMES OF LANGUAGES, TRIBES, SCHOLARS, ARTISTS, PHILOSOPHERS.

AND THEY'RE ALL LAYERED AS IF YOU'RE JUST PASSING THROUGH THIS MAJOR UNIVERSAL SYMPHONY OF WORDS ALL BEING SPOKEN AT THE SAME TIME.

AND SO THAT FORMED A PAINTING, NATURE OF LANGUAGE.

IT'S BEEN TALKED ABOUT IN MY WORK THAT IT'S KIND OF PERFORMING PAINTING OR THAT PA PAINTING IS THE PERFORMANCE.

NONE OF THOSE DECISIONS OF MY WORK ARE PLANNED.

THERE'S A CERTAIN MOVEMENT THAT I FEEL IS REALLY NECESSARY AND A TYPE OF SPEED THAT IS NECESSARY FOR ACTUAL TECHNIQUE TO WORK.

IF YOU'RE DOING A LOT OF BLENDS, OKAY, AND YOU'RE WORKING WITH PAINT THAT DRIES VERY FAST AND YOU HAVE TO WORK REALLY FAST AND YOU HAVE TO HAVE A CERTAIN DANCE OR A CERTAIN AGILITY TO BE ABLE TO PULL THAT OFF.

FOR EXAMPLE, SOMETIMES I WANT TO DO REALLY LONG, TALL STROKES, SO I JUMP OFF A LAD TDER TO DO IT.

WHEN I FIRST DID IT, IT WASN'T A DECISION.

I ACTUALLY HAD FORGOTTEN I WAS ON THE LADDER.

AND WHEN I DID THE LINE, IT WAS TOO LATE, AND I JUMPED OFF AND I JUST KEPT THE BRUSH ON THE SURFACE.

THEN I THOUGHT, WELL, THAT'S REALLY SOMETHING I COULD USE.

SO, I KEPT DOING IT.

BUT AT FIRST IT WAS AN ACCIDENT.

SCULPTURAL PAINTINGS STARTED FOR ME WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL.

IT WAS 1992 WHEN HURRICANE ANDREW CAME THROUGH MIAMI AND DEVASTATED A LOT OF THE CITY, INCLUDING MY STUDIO.

MY ART STUDIO WAS ON MIAMI BEACH, AND A LOT OF THE WORKS FLEW OUT THE WINDOW.

AND THE FOLLOWING DAY, I WENT AROUND WITH SOME FRIENDS LOOKING FOR DEBRIS OF MY WORK AND FOUND SOME BROKEN PAINTINGS.

SO, I REASSEMBLED THEM WITH OTHER DEBRIS AND MADE THESE KIND OF SCULPTURAL PAINTINGS.

BUT IT WASN'T UNTIL 2014 AND IT WAS THE 25th ANNIVERSARY OF THE FALLING OF THE BERLIN WALL.

AND I REMEMBERED THAT WHEN THAT HAPPENED, THE IRON CURTAIN WAS FALLING AND THE COLD WAR WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OVER.

SO, WE HAD -- THE CUBAN COMMUNITY, THE DIASPORA WORLDWIDE THOUGHT, WELL, WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WITH CUBA?

THE QUESTION WAS, WELL, WHAT WILL CHANGE?

AND WELL, WITH CUBA, NOT MUCH CHANGED REALLY UNTIL THAT SAME 25th ANNIVERSARY WHEN PRESIDENT OBAMA AND PRESIDENT CASTRO ANNOUNCED THE NEW CONVERSATIONS AND NORMAL RELATIONS THAT WERE TAKING PLACE BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES.

SO, I THOUGHT IT WAS A REALLY INTERESTING TIME TO INTRODUCE THE SCULPTURAL PAINTINGS THAT WERE REPRESENTATION OF WALLS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

WALLS REALLY EXIST NOT ONLY PHYSICALLY BUT ALSO IN OUR MINDS.

AND WE'RE WITNESSING MANY MORE WATE BARRIERS GO UP AND MANY MORE BORDERS ARE BEING TALKED ABOUT, BUILDING NEW WALLS AND THINGS THAT ARE REALLY, WHAT I THINK, GOING BACKWARDS FOR HUMANITY.

IT WAS A WAY TO SHOW BROKEN WALLS AS A SYMBOL OF BREAKING WALLS, AESTHETICALLY, PHYSICALLY, AND MENTALLY, AND EVEN SPIRITUALLY.

WHEN YOU'RE COMING FROM A CUBAN FAMILY, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU'RE IN CUBAN OR SWITZERLAND OR MIAMI, POLITIC IS JUST PART OF YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE.

IMMIGRATION IS PART OF YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE.

YOUR PARENTS ARE IMMIGRANTS.

YOU ARE ALSO AN IMMIGRANT IN A SENSE BECAUSE FOR ME PERSONALLY, I WAS LEARNING ENGLISH AT THE AGE OF TEN HERE IN THE UNITED STATES.

SO, PEOPLE LOOKED AT ME AS AN IMMIGRANT, EVEN THOUGH I WAS BORN HERE.

SO, THOSE THEMES ARE REALLY NOT JUST PART OF MY WORK.

THEY'RE PART OF MY LIFE.

>> THE PROJECT "WRINKLES ON THE CI CITY" WAS A PROJECT THAT EXISTED PREVIOUSLY WITH MY FRIEND, J.R. WE DID IT IN SHANGHAI AND IN SPAIN.

WE WERE INVITED IN 2012, AND RATHER THAN DOING SOMETHING SEPARATE, WE SAID, WELL, WHY DON'T WE COLLABORATE ON SOMETHING?

HAVANA IS ONE OF THE MOST TEXTURED CITIES IN THE WORLD, MEANING THAT ITS ARCHITECTURE REALLY REFLECTS ITS HISTORY IN A WAY WHERE YOU SEE THE DETERIORATION OF IT.

AND THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE WITNESSED THAT, HAVE LIVED THAT, ARE THE ELDERLY PEOPLE IN THAT SIDE IN CUBA.

I NEVER REALLY MET MY REAL GRANDPARENTS, SO WORKING WITH J.R. ON THIS PROJECT, INTERVIEWING THEM IN THEIR STORIES, ALSO TRANSLATING THEIR PORTRAITS INTO LARGE SCALE LIKE THIS WAS INCREDIBLE.

AND IN A COUNTRY WHERE YOU DON'T REALLY HAVE ADVERTISING, YOU HAVE THE OCCASIONAL PICTURE, THERE WERE REVOLUTIONARY HEROES AND LOCAL PEOPLE AUTOMATICALLY THOUGHT THAT IF THAT PERSON WAS IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO BE ON A WALL THAT THEY WERE LIKE A REVOLUTIONARY HERO.

AND WE SAID, WELL, KIND OF.

THEY HAD THEIR OWN REVOLUTION IN A SENSE BECAUSE THEY'RE SURVIVORS.

ART SOMEONE OF THE BEST TOOLS TO INTERPRET THE HUMAN CONDITION BECAUSE THERE ARE THINGS YOU CAN READ IN ART AND SEE IN ART THAT CANNOT BE SAID VERBALLY.

I THINK THAT WE, AS ARTISTS, FILMMAKERS, POETS, WRITERS, JOURNALISTS, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS, YOU KNOW, BRING TO LIGHT THE FACT THAT THERE ARE MANY EXAMPLES OF HOW WE CAN LIVE IN HARMONY.

THE PAINTING, "ONE UNIT OF SENSES" IS 90 FEET IN LENGTH AND 50 FEET TALL.

IT WAS A PAINTING COMMISSIONED IN 2013 BY THE NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY PORT AUTHORITY ORGANIZATION FOR THE WORLD TRADE CENTER.

IT WAS A BIG RESPONSIBILITY THAT CAME WITH DOING SUCH A LOCATION.

BUT I DID KNOW THAT I WANTED TO MAKE A PAINTING THAT WAS RESPECTFUL TO THE FAMILIES OF THOSE WHO HAD LOST PEOPLE THERE BUT ALSO RESPECTFUL TO NEW YORK AND THAT IT ALSO HAD A POINT OF STRENGTH AND RESILIENCE AND HARMONY TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER.

AND I WANTED IT TO HAVE A LOT OF COLORS THAT WOULD MAKE A KIND OF SPECTRUM OF UNITY OF REPRESENTING THE MANY DIFFERENT KIND OF PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN NEW YORK.

SO, IT REALLY BECOMES A PIECE THAT IS ABOUT THAT EVERYDAY RESILIENCE OF NEW YORKERS AND UNITY THAT WE SIGNIFY.

>>> NEXT WEEK ON "NYC ARTS," A VISIT TO THE MORGAN EXHIBITION AND MUSEUM, IN WHICH THE ARTIST'S PORTRAITS OFFER UNIQUE INSIGHTS.

>> YOU ENCOUNTER PEOPLE WHO FEEL LIKE LIVING FLESH AND BLOOD.

SO, WE ALSO LEARN A GREAT DEAL ABOUT THE STATUS, THE ASPIRATIONS, THE ACTIVITIES.

VERY ATTENTIVE TO RINGS, TO QUESTS, TO SYMBOLS, TO DEVICES.

AND HE INTRODUCES THEM WHEREVER HE CAN.

>>> AND A PROFILE OF THE METROPOLITAN UPRIGHT CHORUS, WHOES COLLECTIVE VOICE BRINGS STAR POW TORE THE STAGE.

>> WE TRY TO PRESENT OURSELVES AS ONE OPERA IN ANY GIVEN OPERA.

WE TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO CREATE A CHARACTER AS A CHORUS BY OUR MUSICAL EXPRESSION OF THE SCORE.

>> I HOPE YOU'VE ENJOYED OUR PROGRAM THIS EVENING.

I'M PETER MONTEVALLO.

GOOD NIGHT AND SEE YOU NEXT TIME.

♪ >>> FUNDING FOR "NYC ARTS" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY -- THEA PETSCHEK IERVOLINO FOUNDATION.

THE LEWIS "SONNY" TURNER FUND FOR DANCE.

THE AMBROSE MONELL FOUNDATION.

JODY AND JOHN ARNHOLD.

ELISE JAFFE AND JEFFREY BROWN.

CHARLES AND VALERIE DIKER.

THE NANCY SIDEWATER FOUNDATION.

THE MILTON AND SALLY AVERY ARTS FOUNDATION.

ELROY AND TERRY KRUMHOLZ FOUNDATION.

AND ELLEN AND JAMES S. MARCUS.

THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY PUBLIC FUNDS FROM THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY COUNCIL.

ADDITIONAL FUNDING PROVIDED BY MEMBERS OF THIRTEEN.

"NYC ARTS" IS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY -- >>> FIRST REPUBLIC BANK PRESENTS "FIRST THINGS FIRST."

AT FIRST REPUBLIC BANK, FIRST REFERS TO OUR FIRST PRIORITY, THE CLIENTS WHO WALK THROUGH OUR DOORS.

THE FIRST STEP?

RECOGNIZE THAT EVERY CLIENT IS AN INDIVIDUAL WITH UNIQUE NEEDS.

FIRST DECREE, BE A BANK WHOSE CURRENCY IS SERVICE IN THE FORM OF PERSONAL BANKING.

THIS WAS FIRST REPUBLIC'S MISSION FROM OUR VERY FIRST DAY.

IT'S STILL THE FIRST THING ON OUR MINDS.

>> AND BY -- >> SWANN AUCTION GALLERIES.

WE HAVE A DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT AUCTIONS.

OFFERING VINTAGE BOOKS AND FINE ARTS SINCE 1941.

WORKING TO COMBINE KNOWLEDGE WITH ACCESSIBILITY.

WHETHER YOU'RE A LIFELONG COLLECTOR, A FIRST-TIME BUYER, OR LOOKING TO SELL.

INFORMATION AT SWANNGALLERIES.COM.