Thanksgiving

Ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday next Thursday, we took a moment to pause and reflect on the little things we are grateful for this year; moments that you may blink and miss amidst the daily grind that is life. Our perspectives are shaped by diverse experiences, such as the daily commute through Central Park with its beautiful views, childhood friendships, passing a chicken coop on the way to the office, tennis matches, the memory of a community aquarium that once thrived in Bed-Stuy, and sunsets. Always sunsets! We are thankful for these daily joys and look forward to celebrating other small moments together in the year to come.  We will be off next week but wanted to wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Photos: 1. Sunset in New Hampshire, 2. Tennis and Sunsets, 3. Central Park, 4. Childhood Friendship, 5. Bed-Stuy Chicken Coop, 6. Brooklyn Views, 7. Bed-Stuy Aquarium, 8. Jogging Route in Miami

Favorite Meals of Summer

It has been a long, hot, and fun-filled summer for us at DLG, and we are sad to see it end. As we enjoy some final moments of summer this weekend, we are reflecting on our favorite indulgences of the last few months – delicious food! 

We ate a Greek brunch in Brooklyn and tallines in Ra Riera. We also had grilled oysters in New Orleans, Korean fried barbecue in Manhattan, and capped it off with strawberries in London. We are stuffed!!! 

Happy Labor Day and Happy Eating! 

A Post-Thanksgiving Stroll

After your Thanksgiving feast or holiday celebration, what about a stroll through the Marsha P. Johnson Park in Brooklyn if you are in the area.  We loved our recent visit which was supremely relaxing. 

In this season of thanks, we extend our sincere appreciation to the exceptional individuals who contribute to the success of Daryanani Law Group—from our dedicated team and valued clients, to our families, friends and extensive support network. Your commitment and partnership make each day extraordinary. From all of us at DLG, we hope you are enjoying a lovely Thanksgiving holiday weekend!

“Peace Gorilla” by Noa Bornstein

Noa Bornstein’s “Peace Gorilla,” a bronze gorilla sculpture, greets and high-fives park goers along the esplanade of Newtown Barge Park in Greenpoint. Peace’s arm extends toward the United Nations building across the East River, while she stands on a concrete base inscribed with the word for ‘friend’ in 90 languages—beginning with the six official languages of the UN. Bornstein’s work promotes peace between humans, with visitors welcomed and encouraged to touch, high-five, and engage with the sculpture. “Peace Gorilla” is an edition of seven, with the artist imagining one on each continent. Interestingly, Peace is not the only bronze gorilla sculpture to ever grace New York City–in 2020, “King Nyani” was on view in Hudson Yards, a sculpture which was an homage to critically endangered mountain gorillas in the wild and the largest bronze gorilla statue in the world. Surely Peace and King Nyani would make great friends. Ms. Bornstein says that Peace Gorilla “continues to invite us to make friends and peace with each other, and with hers and other species.” 

“Black Atlantic”: Co-curated by Daniel Palmer and Hugh Hayden

Standing along the shore of the East River in Brooklyn Bridge Park, the location of a former shipping port, is a site-responsive group exhibition by artists Leilah Babirye, Hugh Hayden, Dozie Kanu, Tau Lewis, and Kiyan Williams, titled “Black Atlantic.” The exhibition is inspired by “the diaspora across the ocean that connects Africa with the Americas and Europe.” Over time, these transatlantic networks have led to blends, hybrids, and clashes of cultures and identities, and each commission suggests a unique and creative approach in the pursuit of crafting seen, valued, and sustainable Black identities and futures.

Kiyan Williams, artist behind one work titled Ruins of Empire, reimagines an iconic symbol of American values, The Statue of Freedom. The 1863 monument, designed by Thomas Crawford and still standing atop the U.S. Capitol Building, was built entirely using the labor of enslaved people. Williams’ iteration of the work appears in a state of decomposition, “embodying how American ideals of freedom are tied to subjugation, drawing inspiration from sci-fi tropes of a destroyed monument like the Statue of Liberty as a symbol for a world ruined by environmental devastation.” Commissioned by the Public Art Fund, these pieces, wide-ranging both materially and conceptually, aim to create an open exchange of ideas between artists of the same generation that propose an “open, multifaceted, and heterogeneous idea of identity in the United States today.”  

Cherry Blossom Season

In March and April, parks and gardens bloom with delicate pink and white cherry blossoms, signaling the start of spring. The tradition of celebrating the beautiful flowering trees originated in Japan, and is known as hanami, which translates to “flower viewing.” The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is home to 26 different varieties of flowering cherry trees, or sakura, and the first flowers are blooming in the gardens. Walking through the quiet park, flashes of pink and white are bright in the sunlight, and tiny petals rain down when the wind blows. It’s a beautiful way to celebrate the end of winter and welcome the warm, sunny days that are around the corner.

World’s Largest Menorah

This week, people around the world are celebrating Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, by lighting menorahs. Most menorahs are small enough to fit on a table or a windowsill, but New York City is home to two of the world’s largest menorahs! One is at the southeast corner of Central Park in Manhattan, and the other is in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Both menorahs are 32 feet tall, the maximum size allowed by Jewish law, so there has been a friendly rivalry between the two sites for decades. The Guinness Book of World Records gave the honor of the record to the Central Park menorah back in 2006, even though the Brooklyn menorah is actually a few inches taller. The lighting of the Central Park menorah on the first night of Hanukkah was celebrated with music, dancing, and a parade of cars driving up Sixth Avenue.

SOAR

A mural by famed Clinton Hill artist Voodo Fé lights up a drab construction site on Fulton Avenue in Brooklyn. The twenty-foot wide mural shows an eagle in flight and is meant to “depict the diversity of the world, inspiring us to rise above all odds.” The mural was created as part of the City Canvas pilot program, a NYC Department of Cultural Affairs initiative that adds artwork to sidewalk sheds and construction fences in NYC. The artist, whose work can be purchased at The Spot on Myrtle Avenue, chose to depict an eagle since it’s “a great representation of how through all, the good, bad, and ugly – we continue to ‘SOAR.'” Which is exactly the type of energy we need to take into 2021.

LIGHT YEAR

On the first Thursday of every month at the Pearl Street Triangle in DUMBO, the Manhattan Bridge is used as a backdrop for a video installation as part of the art project titled “LIGHT YEAR.” Originally created for the Manhattan Bridge Anchorage to celebrate the United Nations’ declaration of 2015 as the Year of Light and Light Art, “LIGHT YEAR” has since become an international project, with presentations in DUMBO, Berlin, and live streamed online. Over the years, “LIGHT YEAR” has featured the work of hundreds of artists and curators from around the world. This week’s video installation by artists Philip Vanderhyden, Colleen Keough, Rebecca Shapass, and Eric Souther was “Thresholds and Beyond,” which explored the “place where disparate realities meet, overlap and create hybrid realities.”