An event held by an Australian artist has been shut down in New York City, with cops yelling at people to move along.
The Flower Market exhibition on New York’s Roosevelt Island was being hosted by Brisbane contemporary artist CJ Hendry, where thousands of plush flowers inside of a huge white tent.
It was intended to be a follow up to her Public Pool installation that was held in April.
However, the event was quickly shut down by New York Police Department officers on day two of the exhibition, with hundreds of people patiently waiting for a glimpse of the artwork.
“It’s closed, go,” one officer could be seen yelling at a bunch of prospective patrons.
“You have to leave, public safety,” another person told guests.
The event was shut down due to overcrowding, with one officer saying it wasn’t his fault, he was “just making an announcement”.
It got to the point where one of the organizers had to step in, saying; “Please stop moving. Unfortunately, the park is at capacity and we will no longer be accepting guests.”
Thousands of people could be seen lining up, with the queue weaving all the way through the park and down the steps. Many were disappointed at the news they couldn’t see the exhibition.
Ms Hendy said if she didn’t laugh about the situation, she would cry.
The mother-of-two was quick to apologize on social media for the situation, saying the organizers were “really sorry”.
“We did a thing. It was great. It got shut down,” she said.
“We’re finding a new location, we’re going to build a new exhibition overnight and we’ll let you know the location tomorrow. We’re very excited — there’s still one more day of Flower Market.”
She said she knew a lot of people had traveled from overseas and interstate.
“We don’t want to let anyone down,” she said, with a new venue quickly being found in Brooklyn.
News.com.au has contacted CJ Hendry for further comment.
Social media expressed a mixture of disappointment at how the day unfolded but delight at how the contemporary artist handled the situation.
“So upset to have traveled from upper Westchester and circled for an hour for parking and walked for 20 minutes only to get to the park and it’s closed. Very disappointed. Signs should be put up at park entrance,” one said.
Another said: “I was there today it was completely pleasant and not too crowded, everyone was waiting patiently, with children and it was so civilized and perfectly lovely!”
“An artist who cares and doesn’t let people down is a strong influential artist. Love your work. Love your work ethic. Congrats on an amazing event. Would love to talk art with you one day,” one added.
Another said: “So happy you found a new location! I hope you had a lovely time working on Roosevelt Island, despite how it ended. Was so stoked to have you on the island! And thanks for making your art accessible – so stoked to now have some of your flowers.”
“Folks working were EXTREMELY rude when it closed. Kicking people off the grass (a public space) and even pulled a flower out of a guest’s hand. This is not how to treat people! I hope tomorrow you can reopen with kindness,” another said.
The event reopened on Sunday and ran smoothly.
