Miami, FL – A perfect fit for the Magic city and its love of basketball, renowned contemporary artist, Cj Hendry unveils HOOPS Tree, a stunning basketball tree public art installation. Working with the city of Miami, HOOPS Tree has been in the works for the past year, and stands at a towering 20 ft with 34 hoops reminiscent of chandeliers hanging from the sky. Located in the Wynwood art district, HOOPS Tree is a rich deep blue popping out from the oceanic landscape. Set to be revealed on December 6th to the public, anyone who successfully sinks 34 baskets in a row in each hoop on video from the opening until December 9th may claim a prize of 1 million dollars! “It’s been a focus to try my hand at public art. I enjoy the intimacy of my drawing practice but there is a part of me which gets frustrated because I want to make larger works. I have been building multi-faceted large scale exhibitions for quite some time but the downside to building a temporary exhibition is that it’s only temporary. This HOOPS concept is my first foray into a permanent public concept. I am so fortunate to be partnering with the Miami City council in such a big capacity. They took a risk on me and I am very grateful for the opportunity. Designing HOOPS Tree has been interesting because its scale is enormous and it’s so much heavier than I anticipated. The engineering team helped with the specs to make it safe and sturdy. All these components make for a fascinating combination of practicality and creativity. Having an artwork that will live on in a public space indefinitely is a real honor and I am so excited to see it come to life, ” says Cj.
To celebrate the launch of HOOPS Tree, there will be a limited series of 6 exclusive drawings with 600 editions each, only available to previous clients, in 6 different shades of blue, and one giant drawing amongst the entire collection. Additionally, one of the editions will have a linked golden ticket to claim the prize to win the giant drawing.
About Cj Hendry
Cj Hendry (b. 1988) is a New York-based artist originally from Brisbane, Australia. Hendry transforms her fascination with contemporary material culture into large-scale, hyper-photorealistic drawings. Cj Hendry’s exhibits aren’t intended to be passively observed but, rather, actively experienced through engaging, fun, and thought-provoking exhibits. For her exhibit Monochrome, Hendry and her team built an entire multi-room “home” inside a warehouse with each room entirely monochrome-colored from floor to ceiling and everything in between. For Rorschach, guests jumped through a gigantic bouncy house maze in order to reach and finally view the impressive series. Each Cj Hendry exhibit, from Miami to Melbourne, draws massive crowds with attendees waiting in line for several hours – and, in the end, everyone leaves more enriched than when they arrived. With her celebrity clientele – and many works in private collections – Hendry’s waitlist is now well over 3,000 collectors with a wait time of up to five years to get their hands on a piece.