Adrián Villar Rojas Transforms Met Roof into Surreal Theater

Adrián Villar Rojas, an artist from Argentina born in 1980 in Rosario, showcases 'The Theater of Disappearance' at The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden of the Metropolitan Museum of Art from April 14 to October 29, 2017. At 37, he holds the distinction of being the youngest artist to create a site-specific installation for this rooftop venue, which has been open since August 1, 1987, thanks to funding from the Cantor family—founders of Cantor Fitzgerald, which tragically lost 658 employees during 9/11. His installation features 16 sculptural groups in black and white, incorporating 3D-printed replicas of 100 objects from the Met's collection, such as Egyptian masks and classical statues, arranged into surreal scenes. Villar Rojas also revamped the flooring with black, white, and gray tiles, extended the pergola, and introduced plants and furniture, delving into themes of disappearance and the museum's dynamic nature. Past Roof Garden artists include Ellsworth Kelly (1998) and Jeff Koons (2008). Villar Rojas had a prior exhibition at Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo in Italy in 2015.