MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) — If you’ve ever walked along the High Line, you may have encountered a giant pigeon called “Dinosaur.”
The iconic bird near 10th Avenue and 30th Street will remain above Manhattan’s busy streets until spring, when a brand-new statue arrives in town.
Carved in Vietnam, a 27-foot Bamiyan Buddha will take refuge along the High Line and will be on view for 18 months.
The Buddha sculpture by Tuan Andrew Nguyen pays homage to two 6th-century statues destroyed by the Taliban in 2001 in central Afghanistan.
“This sculpture is a towering, 27-foot call to remembrance, asserting that our collective memory and our shared humanity remain the most enduring antidote against those who seek to break
and scatter the human spirit,” said Alan van Capelle, executive director of Friends of the High
Line. “What happened to the Buddhas of Bamiyan is not unique and is particularly resonant for
many people across this country today who face a real fear of erasure and cultural persecution.
A work of this magnitude requires a platform of equal magnitude, and I hope its debut on the Plinth offers people a powerful place to connect and find strength in this moment.”
The statue will be installed above the intersection of 10th Avenue and 30th Street.
Ben Mitchell is a digital content producer from Vermont who has covered both local and international news since 2021. He joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of his work here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.