Pool Party

Joel Mesler’s first public installation is the large-scale, Pool Party, on view at the Rink at Rockefeller Center. Presented by Rockefeller Center and Art Production Fund, Pool Party activates multiple locations throughout Rockefeller Center, centering at the Rink with the creation of a patterned pool, as well as the artist’s sculptural floats, inflatables, and beach balls.

An artist known for the use of playful symbols such as the aforementioned beach balls, as well as rainbows, water, banana leaves, and mylar foil balloons, Mesler acknowledges that these symbols mean something specific to him but can mean different things to others. “Water and the pool was a place where it was about discovery, but it was also about watching my mom drink too much,” he said. “So all of these elements to me have so many mixed metaphors.” Pool Party is a place he feels he can tell his own story while telling a larger story at the same time: “Hopefully it’s a place where I can clear my trauma but also give joy to other people.”