The pigeon is flying the coop — and in its place will come a 27-foot-tall Buddha sculpture.
A towering sandstone statue by artist Tuan Andrew Nguyen will be installed on Manhattan’s High Line next year, replacing the giant pigeon that has perched on the elevated park since last fall.
Titled “The Light That Shines Through the Universe,” the statue marks the fifth commission for the High Line’s rotating Plinth program, the park said in a release Tuesday..
What You Need To Know
A 27-foot-tall Buddha sculpture will be installed on Manhattan’s High Line next year, replacing a giant pigeon that has perched on the elevated park since last fall
Titled “The Light That Shines Through the Universe,” the sandstone statue was created by artist Tuan Andrew Nguyen in Vietnam
The piece marks the fifth commission for the High Line’s rotating Plinth program and pays tribute to the Bamiyan Buddhas, two sixth-century statues in central Afghanistan that were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001
The current Plinth installation, a 16-foot sculpture of a pigeon titled “Dinosaur” by Iván Argote, was installed in October 2024
It will occupy a space over the intersection of 10th Avenue and 30th Street starting this spring, remaining on view for 18 months.
The sculpture pays tribute to the Bamiyan Buddhas, two sixth-century statues in central Afghanistan that were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, according to the release.
The spaces they occupied are now preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“The work’s title directly references the affectionate nickname local communities used for the larger Buddha: ‘Salsal,’ which translates to ‘the light shines through the universe,’” the release noted.
According to the High Line, Nguyen sculpted the Buddha’s hands from melted artillery shells and shaped them into “mudras” — ritual gestures representing “fearlessness” and “compassion.”
“In Nguyen’s use of melted down artillery shells, the artist, who resides in Vietnam, also looks to the legacy of the Vietnam War (1955–1975), and the continued violence and trauma that impacts local communities to this day, fifty years after its conclusion,” the release said.
The hands are positioned with a visible gap from the body, symbolizing resilience and the potential to heal from destruction, the release added.
In a statement, Cecilia Alemani, the Donald R. Mullen, Jr. director and chief curator of High Line Art, called the sculpture “a timely monument for our public space.”
“It stands today as a powerful and poetic counterpoint to extremism and iconoclasm we continue to witness globally,” Alemani said. “By resurrecting the memory of the lost Bamiyan Buddhas, ‘The Light That Shines Through the Universe’ reminds us that cultural treasures and shared history can transcend physical destruction.”
The current Plinth installation, a 16-foot sculpture of a pigeon titled “Dinosaur” by Iván Argote, was installed in October 2024.