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.
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.”
“Untitled (America/Me)” by Glenn Ligon
For decades New York based artist Glenn Ligon has explored issues of race, sexuality, and identity in his art through a historical lens, drawing on literature and sources from the past. Using text in his work, he plays with language to make us think about shifting meanings in different contexts. Now, Ligon has once again drawn attention to what America means as our nation struggles to maintain unity.
“Untitled (America/Me),” is a new 25 x 75 foot billboard viewable from the High Line at 10th Avenue and 18th Street. The installation revisits Ligon’s iconic 2008 neon sculpture, “Untitled,” which featured the word AMERICA in bold neon caps that flickered on and off. Ligon has modified his original piece by crossing out most letters in AMERICA, leaving behind only the word “ME.” As the artist explains, “The word ‘America’ is eclipsed, and the blackening of the letters adds a layer of ambiguity… It’s timely as we reflect on our purpose as a nation and as individuals.” Timely indeed as we ponder the election this coming November 5th and what America means to each of us.
Tishan Hsu’s Glitching Artwork
Known as one of the pioneers of the digital art movement, Tishan Hsu’s work has been exploring how technology is becoming an extension of the human body. The MIT educated artist’s avant garde sculptures “car-grass-screen” and “car-body-screen-2,” are currently garaged on the High Line. Shaped with soft edges and curved surfaces, like physical bodies, the cars appear organic except for their glitching, screen-like skins.
The resin-wrapped foam forms continue Hsu’s tradition of manipulating technology, materials, and software in his artwork. Armed with a scannable QR code, “car-green-screen-2” connects the viewer to a virtual and physical realm, transporting us to another dimension with a click on our phones.
“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.
“Curtain Call” by Karon Davis
Hovering thirty feet above Manhattan’s west side on our beloved High Line is Karon Davis’ graceful sculpture of a ballerina taking her final bow at the end of a performance aptly named “Curtain Call”. Known for her sculptures and installations that incorporated dance, theater, and moving images, for this piece Ms. Davis drew inspiration from her family, crafting the sculpture as an homage to her parents and sister who were all professional dancers.
The artist’s sculpture of a ballerina at the end of a grueling performance captures the mental and physical toll a dancer goes through to put on a show. To bring the dancer’s experience to life, Davis leveraged a mix of 3D scanning technology with traditional sculpting techniques, creating a bronze figure based on a plaster cast of ballerina Jasmine Perry. The work is part of Davis’ series Beauty Must Suffer, which examines the “life and labor” of Black ballerinas. This installation will be available at the High Line at 23rd Street until its last bow in November 2024.
“Thank You Darling” by Lily Van Der Stokker
With its commitment to bringing contemporary art to all via public spaces, strolling through the High Line is a wonderful way to not only get our steps in but also to catch an array of ever-changing art installations. One of the newest additions along the High Line is a colorful, whimsical mural strategically painted on a building facing the High Line on 22nd Street stating “Thank You Darling” in bubble letters by Lily Van Der Stokker.
Ms. Van Der Stokker, who hails from the Netherlands, is known for using a confectioner’s pastel color scheme in her artwork to depict elements traditionally thought of as feminine such as clouds, flowers, and swirls as the backdrop to convey short messages like "Thank You Darling." Van Der Stokker’s work, which has been referred to as “feminist conceptual pop art,” is meant to be cheery but also aims to spark conversations regarding feminism and womanhood. "Thank You Darling" brings a moment of gratitude and joy to all who pass by it, serving as a delightful reminder to pause and take a moment of appreciation amidst the hustle and bustle of the busy city!
“What if They Bark?” by Cosima von Bonin
After a day filled with legal work, we decided to take a leisurely stroll along the High Line. To our surprise, we encountered a delightful scene—a school of fish engaged in a performance! Crafted by German artist Cosima von Bonin these fish are arranged like a military band, holding musical instruments and checkered missiles. Von Bonin, who has a deep interest in marine life, frequently incorporates these whimsical aquatic creatures into her art.
This light-hearted installation was inspired by the classical statue arrangements seen in ancient Greek temples. However, departing from the customary depictions of gods and heroes, the artist places sea creatures on land, engaging in human-like activities such as playing music. Fortunately for von Bonin's fans, she has created numerous similar installations and sculptures, which have been housed in the past at prestigious New York art institutions such as MoMA and the Petzel Gallery.
"Old Tree" by Pamela Rosenkranz
With its roots planted upon the High Line Plinth and standing twenty-five feet tall at the Spur on 10th Avenue and West 30th Street, Swiss artist Pamela Rosenkranz has cultivated a beaming reddish pink hued tree at the elevated New York City Park. “Old Tree” prompts us to consider the interrelation between human and plant life as its color and shape “resembles the branching systems of human organs, blood vessels, and tissue.” Known for her juxtaposition of what is natural and what is human Ms. Rosenkranz’ “Old Tree” is rooted in such a way “as if the tree would like to leave its planter”, in a quest to escape the urban jungle it will call home for the next eighteen months.
“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.