OPEN MOUTH Public Art Triennal 2019 Pershing Square, Downtown LA, Council District 14
Nancy Lupo investigates the psychological, practical, and symbolic relationships among food, currency, and metabolism. Her sculptures often incorporate human or animal food elements and provide opportunities for communal exchange. Open Mouth is a configuration of sixteen benches produced at three-quarters scale, inspired by benches the artist encountered in Rome, with thirtytwo rounded end elements that represent the number of teeth in the adult human mouth. Conceived as a “monument for the living,” Lupo’s benches draw a perimeter around the southeast end of Pershing Square. Open Mouth is a stage for viewing, meeting, and thinking about the metabolism of the city. Throughout the course of the triennial, the artist, as well as musicians, writers, and others intervene in performances with the benches.