Old Tree public art sculpture on the High Line
Image Courtesy of the High Line

A clock powered by the East River, larger-than-life swimmer sculptures, and historic images of Brooklyn’s oldest theater are just a few of the elements you’ll discover in the exciting new public art installations on view this month. Throughout the month of May, monumental works are set to debut from artists who are well-known in New York City and those who are premiering their first large-scale works here. Below, check out all of the new art there is to see:

1. Lit by Nick Cave & Bob Faust at National Sawdust

Lit mural by Nick Cave
Photo by Jill Steinberg

A new mural by Nick Cave and Bob Faust now covers an exterior wall of National Sawdust, a Brooklyn performance space. The mural was inspired by an excerpt from the C. P. Cavafy poem â€śHidden Things”  and unveiled at a festival dedicated to the poet’s memory called Archive of Desire. The mural incorporates Cavafy’s words, an image of a Nick Cave sound suit, and the facade of National Sawdust itself. You can also see depictions of Cave’s sound suits inside the 42nd Street subway station.

Cave’s sound suits were originally developed to “create a camouflage for the wearer’s shape, constructing a second skin that hides gender, race, and class, and compelling the audience to observe without judgment, operating less as an armor and more as a key to unlock one’s own full expression.” Faust and Cave worked together to select a sound suit from 2003 to use in the mural. The mural is now a permanent part of the National Sawdust facade.