A WORK IN PUBLIC SPACE BY THOMAS HIRSCHHORN, PRODUCED BY DIA ART FOUNDATION NEW YORK
LOCATED AT FOREST HOUSES, THE BRONX - NEW YORK CITY, SUMMER 2013
Coming from an island, the title of ambassador carries immediate associations with
far-off places overseas, an “elsewhere” that is foreign and mysterious, exotic and
outlandish. An ambassador, a form of visitor that unlike an anonymous tourist is
publicly identified with a duty to represent a sovereign “place” of origin, to engage
in dialogue with the hosting community and be aware of the politics of being a guest.
Not merely a messenger, an ambassador is ultimately a converser, a kind of public
speaker available to connect through first-person encounters to the universal. In
my role of ambassador at “Gramsci Monument” I will welcome inquiries and questions
concerning art and keep myself informed on the interests and concerns of the residents
of Forest Houses.
