“On Growth” by Canadian artist Kapwani Kiwanga is one of the latest additions to the public art on display on the High Line. The colorful sculpture uses architecture and horticulture to create artwork inspired by marginalized or forgotten histories.
Known for her work that explores gender, colonialism, and the African diaspora, Kiwanga drew inspiration for this sculpture from Wardian cases, early versions of terrariums, which were used in the late nineteenth century to transport plants from around the world to Europe. “On Growth” depicts a fern enclosed in an intricately crafted case that glimmers with dichroic glass. Depending on where you stand, the special glass plays with the light that passes through, transforming its colors and tones. The installation will be on display on the high line until October.