Guardian Spirit<\/a>\u201d by Woody De Othello consists of three redwood totems, between 20 and 22 feet tall, and four large-scale bronze sculptures, inspired by \u201cnkisi,\u201d ritual objects from Western and Central Africa that \u201cembody spiritual presences and channel protective or healing forces.\u201d Located in Pier 1 and at the intersection of Washington Street and Plymouth Street in Dumbo, \u201cGuardian Spirit\u201d is De Othello\u2019s first solo public exhibition in New York City.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/woody-deothello-brooklyn-bridge-park-2-1040x693.jpg\")
Woody De Othello. \u201cAwareness,\u201d 2026. Redwood. Photo: Nicholas Knight, courtesy of Public Art Fund, NY. Presented by Public Art Fund as a part of \u201cWoody De Othello: Guardian Spirit\u201d at Brooklyn Bridge Park, New York City, May 5, 2026-March 8, 2027<\/p>\n
The exhibition includes four large-scale bronze sculptures and three totemic redwood sculptures that are designed to respond to the park\u2019s openness and proximity to the water. De Othello carved the totems from compressed blocks of wood using chainsaws and grinders, with each structure filled with symbolic reliefs.<\/p>\n
There are outstretched hands depicting compassion, kneeling figures for reverence, ears for listening, and birds for freedom. The sculptures will weather with the environment and the passage of time.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/woody-deothello-bbp--1040x693.jpg\")
Woody De Othello. \u201cReverence,\u201d 2026. Redwood. Photo: Nicholas Knight, courtesy of Public Art Fund, NY. Presented by Public Art Fund as a part of \u201cWoody De Othello: Guardian Spirit\u201d at Brooklyn Bridge Park, New York City, May 5, 2026-March 8, 2027<\/p>\n
De Othello typically works in clay and bronze, utilizing everyday objects like clocks and phones, and transforming them into something intimate.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, anything in the material world has the potential to become a ritual object,\u201d Othello said in a statement. \u201cBefore something exists physically, it begins as a thought. Sculpture is a way of pointing back to that unseen space, to the breath, the wind, the shared consciousness we\u2019re all part of.\u201d <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/woody-deothello-brooklyn-bridge-park-5-1040x693.jpg\")
Woody De Othello. \u201cthought in mind,\u201d 2023. Patinated Bronze. Photo: Nicholas Knight, courtesy of Public Art Fund, NY. Presented by Public Art Fund as a part of \u201cWoody De Othello: Guardian Spirit\u201d at Brooklyn Bridge Park, New York City, May 5, 2026-March 8, 2027.<\/p>\n
The sculpture \u201cthought in mind\u201d consists of a large bronze phone and a comb, hinting at the objects\u2019 outsized importance. \u201cCapacity,\u201d \u201cinner knowing,\u201d and \u201cInvolution\u201d feature trumpet horn-shaped appendages merging with ears and hands, revealing a connection between sensation and emotion, inspired by nkisi.<\/p>\n
\u201cWoody De Othello creates sculptures that feel both intimate and monumental,\u201d Jen\u00e9e-Daria Strand, Assistant Curator at Public Art Fund, said. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe invites us to consider how art can hold space: for protection, for memory, and for connection, while ensuring the work remains approachable and playful, through his use of recognizable objects. In Brooklyn Bridge Park, these works open outward, engaging the environment and the public.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGuardian Spirit\u201d will be on view through March 8, 2027. Learn more about the exhibition here<\/a>.<\/p>\nRELATED:<\/p>\n
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![\"Towering](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/woody-deothello-brooklyn-bridge-park-1.jpg\" "\\"Towering")
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