New larger than life artwork by Group X is on display at the Navy Yard.
Greetings From The Mirage was unveiled on May 5 on the grassy field at 11th Street and Kitty Hawk Avenue at the Navy Yard, raising the curtain on a 20-foot by 36-foot domed sculptural art installation by artist Matty Geez.
The artwork is said to transport viewers to a surrealist soft desert and features an artist’s vision of a desert landscape made with more than a dozen larger-than-life-sized cacti created from colorful and soft textiles.
The artwork took 11 months of planning and was priced together during an eight-day installation period. The exhibit is open free to the public every day from dawn til dusk through June 18. No tickets or reservations are required.
“We can’t wait for Philadelphians and people from all around the region to come see this wholly original work of public art from Matty Geez,” says Group X. “Each of the projects we curate for the Navy Yard is different, and with this project we’re thrilled to offer something that will transport visitors into a surrealist mirage of a desert land. Colorful, bold, and soft, it’s less a public art sculpture and more like walking into a painting.”
Greetings From The Mirage marks the sixth collaborative public art partnership between the Navy Yard and an anonymous group of Philadelphia-based artists, curators and organizers known as Group X. The Navy Yard has been dubbed the “coolest shipyard in America” and is a leading model for a repurposed military base where 15,000 employees work at 150 companies, surrounded by iconic parks, Complete Streets, and a riverfront greenway.
Geez’s artwork pieces are three dimensional but maintain a kinship to two-dimensional works. His sculptures are said to verge on the edge of fantastic, flamboyant and oversaturated, while holding onto familiar botanical shapes. His juxtaposition of hard and soft along with the use of color is said to explore gender identities and break the binary that exists in the current world.
Greetings From The Mirage contains some of Geez’s largest sculptures to date, and are meant to envelope and engage viewers in an entirely surreal environment.
“We are really excited to continue our partnership with Group X for another project,” said Kate McNamara, PIDC’s Senior Vice President at the Navy Yard. “Our public art program seeks to deliver unique projects that showcase local, national, and global artists to create long-lasting impressions on the Philadelphia community. This year’s installation, Mirage by Matty Geez, will do just that – it’s a truly incredible piece.”
Like the previous exhibits, this exhibit is outdoors and is accessible by wheelchair. The Navy Yard is open and is accessible via car, bike, Indego bikeshare, on foot, and Navy Yard Transit.
