14 Works of Art on the High Line in New Open Air Exhibit “Panorama”

There’s always a lot going on at The High Line. Panorama, a new group exhibit about vistas and vantage points, natural and manmade, is now on display, in addition to an installation meant to crumble over time on the last section of the High Line. This particular stretch, which remained abandoned for many years, takes you right to the Hudson River and back to 10th Avenue, with every inch of this final phase keeping the integrity of the existing park.

The eleven artists participating in “Panorama” have succeeded in using their environment in a way that both compliments their work and meld their sculptures into the environment. Here is a recap of the work you’ll see along the way:

14. Adrian Villar Rojas: “The Evolution of God,”

With the works of Adrian Villar Rojas, entitled “The Evolution of God,”you can see the Hudson Yards twenty-six acre site alongside. This exhibit consists of thirteen sculptures that are designed to crumble over time while on view, a fitting last testament to the elevated railway that will soon be surrounded by skyscrapers.

13. Gabriel Sierra, “Who Would Measure the Space, Who Would”

Gabriel Sierra planted several bright yellow “measuring tools” to actually measure growth of the vegetation along the High Line.

12. Kris Martin, “Altar”

Kris Martin frames the cityscape with his piece “Altar,” a steel replica of the Van Eyck brothers’ famous Ghent Altarpiece, Adoration of the Mystic Lamb from 1432.

11. Damian Ortega, “Physical Graffiti”

Damian Ortega created three sculptures in the shape of found graffiti tags, fabricated in rebar and attached to the railings of the High Line.

10. Andro Wekua’s “Window”

Andro Wekua’s “Window,” depicts his childhood memory of a window in his hometown and the question of the psychological dimension of landscape and its imaginative and emotional power.

9. Mariana Castillo Deball’s Columns

The work of Mariana Castillo Deball, whose current oeuvre reflects her Mexican heritage,  consists of three stacked ceramic columns that each tell a story inspired by fictional tales.

8. Yukata Sone, “Little Manhattan”

Yutaka Sone exhibits his nine-foot long marble sculpture of the island of Manhattan, “Little Manhattan.” His piece includes every bridge, pier and building.

7. Rashid Johnson, “Blocks”

As you emerge from under The Standard, you’ll be facing not only Rashid Johnson’s installation entitled “Blocks,” but also the new Whitney Museum with its multi-layered terraces. “Blocks,” isn’t part of panorama but certainly fits in with the montage of art you’ll see along the way.

6. Katrin Sigurðardóttir, Model of Glacial Island

Katrin Sigurðardóttir hangs an inverted sculpture from the bottom of the High Line at Gansevoort Street. Evoking the landscape of her native Iceland, it is a model of an uninhabited glacial island.  In the background, the entrance to The Whitney Museum.

5. Elmgreen & Dragset, “A Greater Perspective”

Elmgreen & Dragset present a overlooked view of the Statue of Liberty from the High Line, marked by an oversized, non-functional bronze telescope in “A Great Perspective.”

4. Kaari Upson’s “My Mom Drinks Pepsi II”

Karri Upson’s “My Mom Drinks Pepsi II” consists of over 1,400 uniquely cast solid aluminum Pepsi cans forming a volume of negative space in a planting bed.

3. Ryan Gander, Multiple Pieces

Ryan Gander has three pieces in Panorama: a marble fountain in the visage of his wife, a bronze cast of his wallet and phone, and a sound piece that plays live feed from his garden in Suffolk, England.

2. Olafur Eliasson’s The Collectivity Project

Olafur Eliasson “The Collectivity Project” on view starting May 29.

Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson will have an installation “The Collectivity Project,” on view starting May 29th as part of Panorama. It is an imaginary cityscape built with over two tons of white legos and will be installed near the West 30th Street part of the High Line.

1. Bonus: Spencer Finch, “The River That Flows Both Ways”

It’s hard to walk the High Line without a mention of Spencer Finch and his permanent installation “The River That Flows Both Ways” whereby he documented a 700-minute (11 hours, 40 minutes) journey on the Hudson Rive from a tugboat, photographing the surface once every minute.  The color of each pane of glass is based on a single pixel point in each photograph and arranged chronologically.

For a nearby lunch and a bit of old-time Meatpacking District charm,  check out Hector’s Diner a block away. Get in touch with the author at AFineLyne.