November 7, 2008 – September 25, 2009
MetroTech Center, Brooklyn

I'm OK-You're OK, a new commission by Ethan Breckenridge, is a sculpture composed of 100 standard, functional furniture dollies, piled on top of another to a staggering height of 16 feet. Typically used for transporting heavy items, dollies are often stacked in pairs or groups before or after moving something from one location to another, and give the sense of work in progress. Breckenridge exaggerates this common occurrence to a state of absurdity with the soaring and seemingly impossible height of the stack, turning something practical into an improbable feat. Although engineered to be stable, the dollies seem to be resting precariously, as if the entire structure could topple over at any minute. In this work, Breckenridge pays homage to Marcel Duchamp and artists who have followed in his footsteps by working with everyday objects and transforming them into non-functional works of art, as well as making reference to Constantin Brancusi's Endless Column and Minimalists whose work includes the repetition of individual parts into sculptural arrangements, such as Donald Judd's vertical stacks. Positioned within a seating area in MetroTech Commons, I'm OK-You're OK appears as a statuesque column resembling a civic monument or public marker.

Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Ethan Breckenridge received his BFA from the School of Visual Arts (2002), and his MFA from Columbia University (2005), both in New York. He lives and works in New York City. His work was recently shown at Kate Werble Gallery, New York (2008); Socrates Sculpture Park, Queens, New York (2006), and was included in the Peace Tower at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2006).

Ongoing at MetroTech: Tony Matelli's Stray Dog (1998), James Angus's Basketball Dropped from 35,000 feet at Moment of Impact (1999), and Tom Otterness's Alligator (1996) and Visionary (1997), all commissioned by Public Art Fund, continue to be exhibited within the MetroTech Commons.

MetroTech Center is located in Downtown Brooklyn between Jay Street and Flatbush Avenue at Myrtle Avenue. Viewing hours are dawn to dusk daily for outdoor works, Monday through Friday 8am to 6pm for Francis Cape's installations in the lobby of One MetroTech Center. Subway: A, C, F to Jay Street/Borough Hall, exit at Myrtle Promenade; R to Lawrence Street; Q to Dekalb Avenue. This exhibition is free.

Public Art Fund is New York's leading presenter of artists' projects, new commissions, installations and exhibitions in public spaces. For over 30 years, the Public Art Fund has been committed to working with emerging and established artists to produce innovative exhibitions of contemporary art throughout New York City. By bringing artworks outside the traditional context of museums and galleries, the Public Art Fund provides a unique platform for an unparalleled public encounter with the art of our time.

Recent critically acclaimed exhibitions and presentations include Olafur Eliasson's The New York City Waterfalls at four locations on the shorelines of lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and Governors Island; Chris Burden's What My Dad Gave Me at Rockefeller Center; James Yamada's Our Starry Night, and Sarah Lucas' Perceval at Doris C. Freedman Plaza; Dara Friedman's Musical on the streets of Midtown Manhattan, and Alexander Calder in New York at City Hall Park.

Since 1993, Public Art Fund's program at MetroTech has exhibited new commissions and recent works by more than fifty emerging and established artists including Vito Acconci, Liz Craft, Jacob Dyrenforth, Tony Feher, Rachel Foullon, Luis Gispert, Corin Hewitt, Matthew Day Jackson, Matt Johnson, Nina Katchadourian, Peter Kreider, Tony Matelli, Ryan McGuinness, Dave McKenzie, Franco Mondini-Ruiz, Mamiko Otsubo, Tom Otterness, Ester Partegàs, Valeska Soares, Do-Ho Suh, Marc Swanson and Ursula von Rydingsvard.

Sponsorship
Trapdoor at MetroTech Center is part of an ongoing program organized by Public Art Fund and sponsored by MetroTech Commons Associates, and MetroTech companies including: Forest City Ratner Companies, JPMorganChase, National Grid, WellChoice and Polytechnic University. Special thanks to Forest City Ratner Companies and First New York Partners.

Public Art Fund is a non-profit arts organization supported by generous contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations, and with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts; New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.