As you know, we love covering the ever-changing art installations on The High Line. However, when “Foot Fountain (pink)” by Mika Rottenberg first stepped onto the scene in April, we weren’t exactly sure if we wanted to feature it. Now months have gone by and we just can’t turn away from the pink foot statue, finding ourselves frequently intrigued by the display. We thought that it was time to share, especially with the hot days of summer approaching. The ten foot sculpture doubles as a fountain spouting out water from the top which Rottenberg explains saying, “on the High Line, instead of nurturing the well-tended gardens, I thought it should nurture and cool passersby on hot days, and share some of its overenthusiastic spirit!” Luckily when we snapped this photo the foot didn’t spray us, but we imagine on a really hot summer’s day one might actually find some relief in the foot’s spray. The sculpture will be on display until May 2026, if you find yourself on the High Line you can’t miss it!
“The Sun Is a Flame That Haunts The Night” by Tai Shani
We were walking through New York’s Chelsea neighborhood recently when we looked up to see a glowing candle, lighting our way. The mysterious light is part of the new art installation on the High Line, “The Sun Is a Flame That Haunts The Night” by Tai Shani. For this piece, Shani drew upon one of her recurring motifs, candlesticks, to create cartoon-like sculptures which glow at night. Though candles usually drip and melt, reminding us of the passing of time, these candles stay the same, unchanging on the High Line. The installation will light up the Highline through March 2026. We recommend art lovers catch these beautiful sculptures at night when they’re aglow.
“The Creation of the Creatures of Day and Night” by Rosana Paulino
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.
“Soft Power” by Alex Da Corte
For decades Venezuelan-American artist Alex Da Corte has been delighting viewers with his sly wit and colorful approach, and his newest installation on display in New York City does not disappoint. “Soft Power” fills The High Line’s billboard on 18th Street and 10th Avenue with a bright pink display inspired by the 1960’s Friz Freleng cartoon, The Pink Panther.
The piece explores the flex of soft power, which Da Corte describes as “a place for fairness, for clear views clearly expressed, for mutualistic relations that benefit all parties or, at least, show consideration for all parties. It is the site for truce.” The color pink has flexed its soft power for decades, selling products, representing queer freedom, and exemplifying a poised resistance. In “Soft Power,” pink takes center stage as a dominant influence, and we can’t look away. Viewers can catch this exhibition on The High Line through May.
“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.
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.