Public Art Versus Public Advertising

Felix-Gonzalez Torres', Untitled, public art billboard has been floating around since 1991 and has been a darling of outdoor advertising companies looking to fulfill their percent for the arts programs and "obligations" to the communities in which they operate. Currently there is one at the corner of 6th avenue and Canal street.

I think this image serves as a perfect example of how art imagery and advertising imagery affect us differently in our shared public spaces. If you would, imagine walking down the street and seeing Felix Gonzalez Torres' Untitled image towering above you. Then imagine the advertising image below, and your reactions to both. One asks you to concentrate your attentions on very specific commercial concerns, whereas the other asks you to contemplate ideas about your life and your relationship to the city around you. Clearly the more healthy thought process is the one that opens your perceptions as opposed to controlling them. And why wouldn't we demand a public visual space that is as healthy for our population as possible?