LOOK & LISTEN

IN AN AMBITIOUS NEW SITE-SPECIFIC SCULPTURE FOR STORM KING ART CENTER, KEVIN BEASLEY ENGAGES THE SENSES AT MONUMENTAL SCALE

- THESSALY LA FORCE

ARTIST KEVIN BEASLEY IN HIS QUEENS STUDIO WITH PANELS BOUND FOR NEW YORK'S STORM KING ART CENTER, WHERE HE WILL UNVEIL A SITE-SPECIFIC OUTDOOR SCULPTURE ON MAY 7. OPPOSITE THE BACK OF A PANEL REVEALS LAYERS OF CLOTHING.

AMONG THE MANY PECULIAR relics of the World War era are the utilitarian structures that were erected, like some Brutalist versions of Stonehenge, along the southern coast of England. Often referred to as “concrete ears,” these forms were a way of amplifying sound, of listening for incoming aircraft or other signs of war before the development of radar. But they were built too late, never used after technology improved, and never destroyed. They have long fascinated the American artist Kevin Beasley, and are now the inspiration for his new site-specific sculpture—and largest work to date—at Storm King Art Center in upstate New York. It will be unveiled on May 7 as part of the open-air museum’s new $53 million expansion, which aims to improve visitor experience with new buildings, landscapes, and commissions.