The pigeon is flying the coop \u2014 and in its place will come a 27-foot-tall Buddha sculpture.<\/p>\n
A towering sandstone statue by artist Tuan Andrew Nguyen will be installed on Manhattan\u2019s High Line next year, replacing the giant pigeon that has perched on the elevated park since last fall.<\/p>\n
Titled \u201cThe Light That Shines Through the Universe,\u201d the statue marks the fifth commission for the High Line\u2019s rotating Plinth program, the park said in a release Tuesday..<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n
A 27-foot-tall Buddha sculpture will be installed on Manhattan\u2019s High Line next year, replacing a giant pigeon that has perched on the elevated park since last fall
\n
Titled \u201cThe Light That Shines Through the Universe,\u201d the sandstone statue was created by artist Tuan Andrew Nguyen in Vietnam
\n
The piece marks the fifth commission for the High Line\u2019s 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
\n
The current Plinth installation, a 16-foot sculpture of a pigeon titled \u201cDinosaur\u201d by Iv\u00e1n Argote, was installed in October 2024<\/p>\n
It will occupy a space over the intersection of 10th Avenue and 30th Street starting this spring, remaining on view for 18 months.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The spaces they occupied are now preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe work\u2019s title directly references the affectionate nickname local communities used for the larger Buddha: \u2018Salsal,\u2019 which translates to \u2018the light shines through the universe,\u2019\u201d the release noted.<\/p>\n
According to the High Line, Nguyen sculpted the Buddha\u2019s hands from melted artillery shells and shaped them into \u201cmudras\u201d \u2014 ritual gestures representing \u201cfearlessness\u201d and \u201ccompassion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Nguyen\u2019s use of melted down artillery shells, the artist, who resides in Vietnam, also looks to the legacy of the Vietnam War (1955\u20131975), and the continued violence and trauma that impacts local communities to this day, fifty years after its conclusion,\u201d the release said.<\/p>\n
The hands are positioned with a visible gap from the body, symbolizing resilience and the potential to heal from destruction, the release added.<\/p>\n
In a statement, Cecilia Alemani, the Donald R. Mullen, Jr. director and chief curator of High Line Art, called the sculpture \u201ca timely monument for our public space.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt stands today as a powerful and poetic counterpoint to extremism and iconoclasm we continue to witness globally,\u201d Alemani said. \u201cBy resurrecting the memory of the lost Bamiyan Buddhas, \u2018The Light That Shines Through the Universe\u2019 reminds us that cultural treasures and shared history can transcend physical destruction.\u201d<\/p>\n
The current Plinth installation<\/a>, a 16-foot sculpture of a pigeon titled \u201cDinosaur\u201d by Iv\u00e1n Argote<\/a>, was installed in October 2024.<\/p>\n