With the new year in full swing, art installations continue to open across New York City. As the perfect way to start the year off strong, be sure to check out the High Line’s ode to New York City culture in its mural NYC Love or bask in the watercolor imagery of Times Square Art’s new Midnight Moment series Long Low Line. From recycled geometric public artwork to intriguing photographic displays, the new and continuing art installations this January offer something for everyone to enjoy. Here are the best public art installations to see in January 2023.
1. Patchwork Travelers, by Dennis RedMoon Darkeem at Penn Station
Patchwork Travelers, by Dennis RedMoon Darkeem, draws colors, patterns, and icons such as totems, earth mounds, and the medicine wheel from Darkeem’s dual heritage as ​​an Indigenous and African American. The installation is part of Art at Amtrak, a year-round public art initiative at Penn Station. On January 19, 2023, multimedia artist Derrick Adams’ installation The City Is My Refuge will debut at Penn Station. The installation will mark the first time a single artist’s work has taken over the entire concourse used for Art at Amtrak’s programming. Through The City Is My Refuge, Adams seeks to portray the hidden wonders of the urban environment. In the installation, the city is reframed as a place where the natural world shares space with humanity, inviting viewers to consider the connections between nature and urban landscapes. Accompanying the installation is an audio component accessible via a QR code.Â
Adams’s installation in Penn Station also coincides with the artist’s solo exhibition Derrick Adams: I Can Show You Better Than I Can Tell You, which consists of 16 large-scale works from his series Motion Picture Paintings, on view at the FLAG Art Foundation from January 12th through March 11, 2023. The City Is My Refuge can be viewed through Summer 2023.
