Knicks Fever

Our neighbors at Madison Square Garden are having quite the exciting season! For the first time since 1999, the New York Knicks are playing in the NBA Finals, and, along with the rest of New York, we could not be more delighted. Game one was a thrilling win that has us hoping for a sweep. In celebration of their historic run, we stopped by the specially designed Knicks Subway station stairway at Madison Square Garden, planned by the MTA. With basketball-shaped light posts and the team’s signature orange and blue colors painted across the gates, the stairway has certainly brightened our commute. Our office, just a few blocks south of the team’s home arena, is betting on Brunson and gearing up for what is sure to be a fantastic second game tonight. Let’s Go Knicks!

Outdoor Exploration

In celebration of New York Art Week, we explored the latest art installations in the Hudson Yards and Flatiron neighborhoods.

Our first stop was Roberto Lugo’s exhibition “Alfarero del Barrio” or “village potter,” which consists of a larger-than-life orange fire hydrant and a twenty-foot-tall urn, both carved from milled foam. Together, these works celebrate the artist’s Puerto Rican heritage and invite viewers to engage directly with a culture that has a vibrant and enduring presence in New York City.

We then stopped by Hudson Yards to see Brendan Murphy’s newest installation “Love Matters Everywhere,” which features a 12-foot reflective teddy bear, named “Loretta,” and sitting on a nearby bench, a masked astronaut. Murphy explores the complexity and beauty of the human experience, asking onlookers to look directly at themselves as they admire his sculptural work.

Just across the street, we cooled off by the fountains and took in Giangaetano Patane’s “The Last Five Fish in the Sea,” an installation of five terracotta fish, swimming at the base of the fountain’s pool. An intimate and simple portrayal of the sea, Patane’s work offers a calming respite in the middle of Manhattan.

With great art all around, we hope you get a chance to check out some of the ongoing exhibitions and installations!

“The Light That Shines Through the Universe” by Tuan Andrew Nguyen

While on our daily constitutional to take our minds off the ever-changing nuances of immigration law, we came across the brand-new installation at the High Line Plinth. Towering over the High Line Spur stands Tuan Andrew Nguyen’s “The Light That Shines Through the Universe,” a twenty-seven-foot-tall figure in the image of the Bamiyan Buddhas, two incredible statues in central Afghanistan that were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001 in an attempt to erase the history of religious and cultural congruence in the region. Nguyen’s piece references the iconic sculptures both in form and name, taking the name for his creation from the translation of the nickname for the buddhas coined by local Afghani communities, “Salsal.” Despite these remarkable similarities, Nguyen’s intention is not replication but reincarnation. The sculpture’s radiant gold hands, hovering just beyond the body of the sculpture, symbolize healing and empathy, a way to move forward despite loss.

Although we will miss Iván Argote’s pigeon sculpture “Dinosaur” which guarded the walkway and Tenth Avenue below for the past year and a half, Nguyen’s piece is a poignant reminder of the power of art and memory, and of the importance of nurturing forgotten narratives whenever possible.

 Photos by Laura Romig

Brooklyn Bonsai Bar

This Wednesday, we headed across the East River for a fun and creative evening at the Bonsai Bar event hosted at Farm.One, a unique local venue known for cultivating some of the world’s best salad greens and specialty herbs! Over the course of the evening, our patient instructors Sophie and Daniel taught us the basics of the ancient Japanese art form of bonsai with our own dwarf jade plants. From root pruning techniques to control the plant’s size to the aesthetic principles that allow the young shrub to develop into a small tree that looks wise beyond its years, we were lucky to receive a hands-on introduction to the craft that seeks to capture the beautiful patterns of nature.

After some seemingly aggressive potting and trimming, we began to shape our plants and each bonsai began to take on its own unique character, ready to grow and evolve over time (fingers crossed). We wrapped up the evening with a photoshoot of our creations and headed home with beautiful new plants to brighten both our homes and office spaces. Here’s hoping our bonsai thrive under slightly less supervision than we required that evening.

A New Banksy in London

In the early morning hours of April twenty-ninth, while most across London were still sleeping, the globally recognizable but publicly anonymous street artist Banksy was hard at work constructing a new statue in Waterloo Place. The sculpture depicts a suited man stepping off a raised platform, brandishing an unmarked flag which ripples across his face as his next footstep finds empty air. We captured photos of this newly raised statue, a departure from Banksy’s usual spray-painted artwork. The nameless man stands among existing memorials for King Edward VII, Florence Nightingale, and other prominent British figures. With straight lines and steady shoulders, he exudes confidence, yet the flag holding his allegiance obscures his view of the imminent danger in his path. Banksy both signed the piece and took to social media to take credit in a short video. When asked about the statue’s future prospects, a representative of London Mayor Sadiq Khan wrote to the New York Times that Banksy’s “work always draws great interest and debate, and the mayor is hopeful that his latest piece can be preserved for Londoners and visitors to enjoy.” A striking if not subtle piece, the statue remains where it was surreptitiously built…for now.

Elephant Parade

While across the pond, we were lucky to catch the tail end of the Elephant Parade at London’s iconic Battersea Power Station, and what a treat it was. For this traveling installation, twenty-one life sized elephant sculptures decorated by artists from the Netherlands to Thailand, to Mexico, adorned the historic site. Boasting hides embellished with depictions of animals, plants, and more, the path created a captivating scavenger hunt throughout the station, and we had the pleasure of getting to learn about each artist’s motivations in our quest. Not only is the whimsical trail of elephants a delight to behold, but the exhibition also supports the wildlife charity Elephant Family, whose mission is to protect Asia’s most vulnerable species and habitats. Although the parade is no longer on display in London, we can’t wait to see where the herd goes next!

“Talisman, A Secret Grove” By Michele Oka Donner

Spring has finally arrived in NYC! In our search for beautiful blooms across the city, we stumbled upon the “Talisman, A Sacred Grove” an installation by Michele Oka Donner, an internationally renowned American artist situated outside the Park Avenue Armory. Blending into the spring greenery and the pink cherry blossoms, the piece recalls the ancient forest that predated the cityscape, through 300 handcrafted papier-mâché talismans which hang on the branches of trees among the natural detritus of a forest floor. At night, the piece is illuminated, giving the charms a magical glow, like fireflies flickering in a twilight forest. Over time, the elements will reshape the talismans, and the seasons will transform the trees of the grove, reminding us of the ever-changing nature of the seasons and the excitement of the warm days to come.

"Revolution!"

In preparation for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the United States, we took a trip to the iconic Metropolitan Museum of Art to experience “Revolution!” Tucked away within the maze of the museum’s wing of American art, this temporary exhibition brings together objects created before, during, and after the Revolutionary War, offering a layered view of a transformative era in American history. At the center of the installation are a series of prints, a medium that enabled artists to produce and circulate powerful imagery quickly, helping to spread revolutionary ideas during the upheaval of the late 18th century. The matrices used to create the original prints are incredibly detailed, showcasing the artists’ dedication to not only their craft but to unshackling the colonies from the rule of the British crown. Together, these works invite reflection on the many histories that shaped the United States, from Indigenous sovereignty to ongoing debates about liberty and identity, issues that continue to resonate in the present day. If you are looking to engage with a piece of US history and see some beautiful pieces of art, we highly recommend you stop by this exhibit!

Artists whose work is featured:

Asher Brown Durand

Anonymous, French, 18th century

Philip Dawe

“All One” by Jason McCormack

We love to explore the many pockets of nature within New York City, and this week we had the pleasure of exploring Riverside Park South, a recreational area along the Hudson River which blends the industrial heritage of the New York Central Railroad’s 60th Street Yard, with modern landscaping and design. Rising naturally from this setting is “All One” by Jason McCormack of the Art Students League. Composed of three distinct human heads wrapped in rotating bands of primary color, the sculpture draws attention to the layered histories of its location and the complexity of individual identity. Each color reflects the richness of human diversity, while the unified form and title gently underscore a shared connection, reminding us that despite our differences, we are part of one human story.