Light Between the Islands background by Grimanesa Amoros
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ARGENTUM

Grimanesa Amorós ARGENTUM, 9 x 5 ft 4 in x 5 ft 4 in LED sculpture and light sculpture now in the permanent collection of The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, New York, 2024. Made of stainless steel, diffusion and reflective material, LEDs, and custom lighting sequence, its two interlocking sections embody the geographic and cultural bond between Manhattan and the Bronx. Permanent collection exhibition of LED sculpture and light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós at The Bronx Museum of the Arts.
Grimanesa Amorós ARGENTUM, 9 x 5 ft 4 in x 5 ft 4 in LED sculpture and light sculpture now in the permanent collection of The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, New York, 2024. Made of stainless steel, diffusion and reflective material, LEDs, and custom lighting sequence, its two interlocking sections embody the geographic and cultural bond between Manhattan and the Bronx. Permanent collection exhibition of LED sculpture and light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós at The Bronx Museum of the Arts.
Grimanesa Amorós ARGENTUM, 9 x 5 ft 4 in x 5 ft 4 in LED sculpture and light sculpture now in the permanent collection of The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, New York, 2024. Made of stainless steel, diffusion and reflective material, LEDs, and custom lighting sequence, its two interlocking sections embody the geographic and cultural bond between Manhattan and the Bronx. Permanent collection exhibition of LED sculpture and light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós at The Bronx Museum of the Arts.
Grimanesa Amorós ARGENTUM, 9 x 5 ft 4 in x 5 ft 4 in LED sculpture and light sculpture now in the permanent collection of The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, New York, 2024. Made of stainless steel, diffusion and reflective material, LEDs, and custom lighting sequence, its two interlocking sections embody the geographic and cultural bond between Manhattan and the Bronx. Permanent collection exhibition of LED sculpture and light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós at The Bronx Museum of the Arts.
Grimanesa Amorós ARGENTUM, 9 x 5 ft 4 in x 5 ft 4 in LED sculpture and light sculpture now in the permanent collection of The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, New York, 2024. Made of stainless steel, diffusion and reflective material, LEDs, and custom lighting sequence, its two interlocking sections embody the geographic and cultural bond between Manhattan and the Bronx. Permanent collection exhibition of LED sculpture and light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós at The Bronx Museum of the Arts.
Grimanesa Amorós ARGENTUM, 9 x 5 ft 4 in x 5 ft 4 in LED sculpture and light sculpture now in the permanent collection of The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, New York, 2024. Made of stainless steel, diffusion and reflective material, LEDs, and custom lighting sequence, its two interlocking sections embody the geographic and cultural bond between Manhattan and the Bronx. Permanent collection exhibition of LED sculpture and light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós at The Bronx Museum of the Arts.
Grimanesa Amorós ARGENTUM, 9 x 5 ft 4 in x 5 ft 4 in LED sculpture and light sculpture now in the permanent collection of The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, New York, 2024. Made of stainless steel, diffusion and reflective material, LEDs, and custom lighting sequence, its two interlocking sections embody the geographic and cultural bond between Manhattan and the Bronx. Permanent collection exhibition of LED sculpture and light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós at The Bronx Museum of the Arts.
Grimanesa Amorós ARGENTUM, 9 x 5 ft 4 in x 5 ft 4 in LED sculpture and light sculpture now in the permanent collection of The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, New York, 2024. Made of stainless steel, diffusion and reflective material, LEDs, and custom lighting sequence, its two interlocking sections embody the geographic and cultural bond between Manhattan and the Bronx. Permanent collection exhibition of LED sculpture and light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós at The Bronx Museum of the Arts.
Grimanesa Amorós ARGENTUM, 9 x 5 ft 4 in x 5 ft 4 in LED sculpture and light sculpture now in the permanent collection of The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, New York, 2024. Made of stainless steel, diffusion and reflective material, LEDs, and custom lighting sequence, its two interlocking sections embody the geographic and cultural bond between Manhattan and the Bronx. Permanent collection exhibition of LED sculpture and light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós at The Bronx Museum of the Arts.
Grimanesa Amoros video thumbnail for ARGENTUM
ARGENTUM

ARGENTUM  at The Bronx Museum

Location: The Bronx Museum of the Arts | Bronx, NY, 2024
9 ft x 5 ft 4 in x 5 ft 4 in
LEDs, diffusion and reflective material, custom lighting sequence, electrical hardware, stainless steel.

ARGENTUM is a 9-foot light sculpture now in the permanent collection of The Bronx Museum of the Arts, its two interlocking steel and LED sections embodying the geographic and cultural bond between Manhattan and the Bronx as a living tribute to the city’s relentless expansion and the communities that have shaped it.

  • Part of the permanent collection of The Bronx Museum of the Arts, ARGENTUM is among the first works by Grimanesa Amorós to enter a major institutional collection in New York City, affirming the enduring significance of her practice within the history of the city’s public and cultural life.
  • Steel, one of New York City’s most fundamental building materials, serves as the primary medium of ARGENTUM, with the sculpture’s two sections directly mapping the geographic relationship between Manhattan and the Bronx and the growth that has flowed between them across centuries.
  • Amorós created ARGENTUM as an AIM alumni artist, returning to the program that shaped her early career to create a work in tribute to the more than 1,200 artists the Bronx Museum has supported since AIM’s founding in 1980.
  • As the sculpture occupies the entrance of the building, viewers see their own reflection within it when entering and exiting, a quality Amorós describes as mirroring light’s speed: it can never be fully captured and only appreciated in movement.
  • ARGENTUM received coverage in the Wall Street Journal, Hyperallergic, artnet News, and Surface Magazine, affirming its significance within both the New York art world and the broader conversation around institutional support for emerging and underrepresented artists.

    • Grimanesa Amoros contemplates the city’s essence, recognizing steel as one of its fundamental building blocks. Within the composition of ARGENTUM, two distinctive sections converge, symbolizing the juxtaposition between the island of Manhattan and the neighboring borough of the Bronx.

    The left section embodies Manhattan, serving as the starting point for New York’s relentless expansion throughout the ages, eventually reaching the vibrant landscapes of the Bronx. This dual representation encapsulates the dynamic growth and profound development that have characterized the city’s evolution.

    ARGENTUM connects with The Bronx Museum’s main aim: to connect the vibrant New York City artist community to all the citizens and its boroughs.

    The Museum has many initiatives for the artist community, one of them being The AIM Program, which, since the 1980s, has supported emerging artists with career management and professional practices, with a transformative presence in Manhattan, which is close to Grimanesa Amoros’s heart, who was a participant in the program.

    ARGENTUM is a lighting sculpture expressing its vibrant community’s connection and essence.

    Description: The lighting Sculpture captures the essence of New York City, uniting two iconic boroughs: Manhattan, a symbol of the city’s relentless growth, and the Bronx, with its vibrant landscapes. ARGENTUM bridges these boroughs, aligning with The Bronx Museum’s mission to connect New York’s artist community with residents across all neighborhoods through their AIM program. We want to thank Martin Weinstein and Teresa Liszka, especially for their generous support, which has helped bring this vision to life, and for contributing to the vision for this piece in Memory of Holly Block.