Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks in America, Ground Zero 360 Remembrance will open at the historic New York City Fire Museum in Lower Manhattan.
This landmark six-month exhibition will present an extraordinary international collection of contemporary art honouring the victims, survivors and first responders of 9/11.
After a chance meeting in Ireland last year, local artist Michael Cusack was invited by co-curator of the exhibition, Eamon Colman, to join such luminaries as Yoko Ono, Jasper Johns, Jeff Koons, James Turrell and U2’s Bono, in the exhibition.
‘He invited me to be in the exhibition which I am honoured to be part of given I am the only Australian representative.’
These artists represent some of the most influential voices in contemporary art. The work for this exhibition forms a powerful visual tribute centred on remembrance, resilience, sacrifice, compassion and hope.
A profoundly fitting setting
Located just minutes from the original World Trade Center site, the New York City Fire Museum provides a profoundly fitting setting for the exhibition during the 25th anniversary year.
Through extraordinary works of contemporary art, historic artifacts and powerful personal testimony, Ground Zero 360 Remembrance invites visitors from around the world to reflect not only on the tragedy of September 11, but also on the remarkable resilience, compassion and unity that emerged in its aftermath.
Cusack, who is a co-director and teacher at the Byron School of Art, said he made a work especially for the exhibition. ‘There was no brief or guidelines other than size which was, “not too big” which was a given as the work had to be transported to New York. I was just asked to create a work for the exhibition.’
‘At first it was hard to get the idea of a painting for 9/11 out of my head. Particularly as an abstract painter how do you make a work for a remembrance exhibition for 9/11?’
‘In the end I just made the work and followed my own process of addition and subtraction of marks and gestures on a canvas. I would relate it to how a musician writes a song or a poet writes a poem.’
‘The painting is a reminder that we all witness and suffer loss.’
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