“In Mortal Repose” by Diana Al-Hadid

On 27th street in Manhattan sits a woman melting away. Sculptor Diana Al-Hadid’s installation, “In Mortal Repose,” is displayed by the Kasmin Gallery just off the high line for viewers to enjoy.

“In Mortal Repose” depicts a woman slowly melting and dripping down the side of a concrete pedestal. All that remains intact is the woman’s torso and feet, with her feet fallen below. Notably, the woman’s head is missing. Al-Hadid described her process, explaining that she does not look at heads as she sculpts, because the head is the “only thing on your body you can’t really see.” The sculpture is a welcome addition to New York’s landscape and offers viewers a chance to reflect on the self, forever disintegrating, growing, and evolving.

“Field of Light” by Bruce Munro

As the sun sets on our bustling city, British artist Bruce Munro’s “Field of Light” comes to life in the form of 17,000 fiber-optic spheres which create a glowing other-worldly landscape.

Munro’s installation was inspired by a 1992 trip to Uluru through the Red Desert in central Australia, where he was struck by the brightness, energy, and heat of the desert landscape. He sought to capture that feeling in his artwork, noting he “wanted to create an illuminated field of stems that, like the dormant seed in a dry desert, would burst into bloom at dusk with gentle rhythms of light under a blazing blanket of stars.” After ten years in development, the “Field of Light” exhibition was born.

The exhibition is immersive, and has guided millions through the changing fiberoptic lights as they take a winding path through the ethereal landscape across the globe. The field at Freedom Plaza will light up Manhattan through August 31st.

Fashion Institute of Technology Presents "Chalk FIT"

Fashion Institute of Technology  (“FIT”) Senior Illustration students are currently showcasing their talents along the walls of the FIT building along 7th Ave between 27th and 28th Streets. In tune with the 10th anniversary of “Chalk FIT” this year’s theme is "celebration."

The exhibit beautifully captures what “celebration” means to the students, revealing the variety of their thoughts and interpretations. A lot of the beautifully detailed artwork seems to draw inspiration from the diverse multicultural backgrounds of the artists themselves.

Lucky for us, many of these artists have thoughtfully included their Instagram handles and contact details above their work, providing an easy way for art enthusiasts like us to follow along their captivating artistic journeys! We are so fortunate to call such a highly esteemed and creative institution, FIT, our neighbors. 

“Freedom’s Stand” by Faheem Majeed

As we celebrate Black History Month, we look upon the work of artist, curator, community facilitator, and educator Faheem Majeed,  a modern-day Renaissance Man who creates works of art focused on institutional critique and cultural experiences. Mr. Majeed’s current installation on display at The High Line “Freedom’s Stand” pays homage to Freedom’s Journal, the first Black-owned-and operated newspaper in New York City that was launched in 1827 to counter act existing newspapers at the time that encouraged slavery and attacked African Americans. Drawing inspiration from a range of renowned, community driven work including Chicago’s Wall of Respect and the Community Mural Movement, the artist’s sculpture, modeled after West Mali’s Dogon Tribe granaries, exhibits  a sampling of headlines, photographs, ads, and articles from historical and present day Black newspapers. The monthly changing content educates spectators on vital issues, as Freedom’s Journal educated the Black community hundreds of years ago.