The High Line is one of our favorite places to explore New York’s public art offerings, and the newest mural at 22nd street is no exception. “The Creation of the Creatures of Day and Night” by Rosana Paulino depicts two tree-women who stem from the mangrove trees common in Paulino’s native Brazil. The artist’s work draws a parallel between the Mangrove trees, which provide a crucial ecosystem in Brazil, and the black and indigenous population of Brazil; both of which have been historically mistreated and exploited. This complex history of the Brazilian biome is embodied in Paulino’s mural of the mangrove tree-women, who offer a striking sense of strength, embodying the crucial role the mangroves play. The stunning mural will be part of The High Line’s fauna and flora through December 2025.
“Le Petit Prince” by Jean-Marc de Pas
Photos by Misia Delgado
Since his story was first published in 1943, Le Petit Prince, or The Little Prince, has travelled across the world and delighted readers. His story, originally written by French author Antoine de Saint Exupéry, has been translated into hundreds of languages and is one of the best-selling books in history. Now, through the work of sculptor Jean-Marc de Pas, the Little Prince has come to reside in New York City, (we presume through G visa status if we had to guess, although we didn’t do the visa application). A bronze sculpture of the character sits on a ledge outside the Villa Albertine, a historic French bookstore on the Upper East Side and headquarters of the cultural services of the French Embassy of the U.S. The statue of the whimsical young prince invites viewers to take a moment to pause, sit, and reflect on life as he reminds us “it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
“Love Continuum” by Yoni Alter
Twisting and curving through Union Square is a new sculpture, which only reveals itself when the viewer positions themselves just-so. “Love Continuum” by Yoni Alter features a twenty-five foot long red squiggle, in a bold design that invites viewers to climb on and around it. The piece displays the word “love,” but viewers have to find the right spot to catch the sculpture’s message. The installation invites us all to reflect on different perspectives on “love,” looking at the word from new angles. Viewers can find the inviting sculpture in New York’s Union Square through late summer.
“The Space Between Us” by Risha Gorig
Floating fifteen feet above New York’s Union Square Park are two bright pink chairs, facing each other. “The Space Between Us,” (“TSBU”) is by Brooklyn based artist Risha Gorig, who is known for taking a whimsical approach to bleak themes. Gorig says the floating chairs, which represent public discourse, serve “as a poignant reminder of our essential need for communication.” As one of New York’s oldest town squares, Union Square has historically served as a “space for expression, protest, and exchange,” making it the perfect backdrop for the thought provoking and conversation starting installation. This eye-catching piece will be on display for visitors until May 1, 2025.
Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy
Photos by Andrew Markey
In 1987, extraordinary artists like André Heller, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Salvador Dalí, Roy Lichtenstein, Arik Brauer, Sonia Delaunay, Kenny Scharf, Monika Gil’sing, and David Hockney designed an amusement park which premiered in Hamburg, Germany. It was the world’s first art amusement park, a stunning interactive exhibition, which shortly after its premier, was packed into shipping containers and forgotten in Texas. Now, thirty-seven years later, Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy has been revitalized and is currently on display at The Shed at Hudson Yards.
We were lucky to explore the enchanting exhibition recently, which features a carousel, a Ferris wheel, and even a chapel in which couples married during the run of the original exhibition in Hamburg. The park is a fascinating exploration into the iconic artists’ ideas of what an amusement park represents, even if you cannot go on the rides. As Keith Haring said during the exhibition’s original run, “Art is nothing if you don’t reach every segment of the people.” Luna Luna embraces us all and invites memories of childhood. With a limited run through March 16th, this is a wonderful opportunity to see the work of the modern greats.
“Love Ever After” by Pernilla Ohrstedt Studio
At the heart of Times Square, Swedish designer Pernilla Ohrstedt is celebrating Valentine’s Day with a love… for Oysters? Her sculpture, titled “Love Ever After,” features three dimensional hearts constructed of oyster cages. The installation was created in partnership with the Billion Oyster Project, a New York nonprofit that aims to rebuild oyster reefs in New York Harbor. New York used to be known as the “big oyster” for its abundant shellfish population, and these installations aim to bring awareness to the efforts to clean up the harbor, and bring back its biodiversity. Visitors can circle the art installation to interact with the oyster cages, watching the hearts contained change color and shape as they move. Conservation and shellfish make for a lovely romance in this installation! Although we try our best, the photos don’t do this stunning sculpture justice, we recommend you visit it in person before the exhibition ends on March 4th.
“moonGARDEN” by Lucion
After touring the world with stops in Athens, Brussels, Jerusalem, Moscow, Washington, Mexico City, Medellín, Houston, and Beijing, moonGARDEN has made its way to New York City. The art installation features glowing, color-changing spheres which were created by Lucion, a multimedia production firm based in Quebec. Currently planted at the Seaport District, the spheres are inspired by set theory, a branch of mathematics that Lucion says “illustrates the notions of sets and belonging.” Each city gets a new perspective, and New York’s installation is titled “Chronicles of the Abyss Walkers,” featuring an underwater themed marine exploration. A peek inside the porthole of one sphere reveals a new world, with giant jellyfish, robotic fish, and an intricate coral reef. The installation is sure to delight visitors of all ages, and art lovers can catch the exhibit through February 2025, before the garden travels to its next destination.
“Secondary Forest” by Giulia Cenci
The High Line is one of our favorite spots in the city, and we are enjoying the last sunny days of fall by exploring the current contemporary art exhibitions on view. The installation “Secondary Forest” by Italian artist Giulia Cenci stands at 24th street, welcoming visitors to investigate the intersection of human forms and organic elements. The sculptures depict animals, plants, and human appendages created from melted down scrap metal to create a forest that has regenerated after human-caused disturbances, much like the Highline itself. In fact, the artist described how the unique location of the exhibit, which hovers above NYC’s Meatpacking District, where slaughterhouses once stood and chic restaurants and shops now line the streets, influenced her work. As the artist explains, “[T]he High Line is a beautiful work itself; I immediately loved the way nature has been growing and devouring a manmade infrastructure. I started to fantasize about an area where different people, animals, plants, machines, and invisible entities are meeting and crossing.” Cenci’s thought-provoking work will be displayed through March 2025.
Día de los Muertos in Times Square
In the heart of Times Square, the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) has unveiled three vibrantly colorful skeleton statutes in celebration of the traditional Día de los Muertos, or The Day of the Dead. Celebrated on November 1 and 2 in Mexico, Día de los Muertos celebrates the rich cultural tradition that honors the memory of deceased loved ones and reminds us to appreciate life while we have it.
The installation, which is presented in partnership with the Times Square Alliance, the nonprofit Mi Casa es Puebla, and the Mexican Consulate invites visitors to remember and celebrate the memory of their dearly departed.
Dinosaur by Iván Argote
Not to be outdone by our friend in London, “Dinosaur” has made its debut on The High Line. The 16-foot-tall aluminum pigeon sculpture is the newest High Line installation, surveying the city from 30th street. The name “Dinosaur” serves as a nod to the humble pigeon’s incredible origins, as the common birds descended from dinosaurs.
Artist Iván Argote noted that when developing the piece, he wanted to make something strange, funny, and provoking. With this installation, Argote places the pigeon on a pedestal, the kind of space usually reserved for leaders, heroes, or historical figures, and by doing so pushes New Yorkers to question who and what we commemorate. Pigeons, like many of the city’s residents, migrated here from abroad, and Argote highlights that “even the pigeon, a New York fixture, migrated here and made the city their home.”