As spring ramps up into full swing, be sure to take advantage of the warmer weather by checking out some of New York City’s latest public art installations. From Madison Square Park’s flower display to the food-inspired Flag Project at Rockefeller Center and Green-Wood Cemetery’s introspective installation on maternal bonds, there is something for everyone to enjoy and be inspired by. Here are the best public art installations to see in April 2023.
1. Yu Ji’s Column-Untitled No.3. at the High Line
Three new public art installations are coming to the High Line this spring. The first to debut will be Yu Ji’s Column-Untitled No.3. The Shanghai artist is known for her diverse artistic practice, which features installations and sculptures that utilize various changing elements like liquids and live plants in juxtaposition with solid building materials like concrete and rebar.
Ji’s High Line installation will be visible at 20th Street. Column-Untitled No.3 is made up of “two twisting columns whose design reflects magnified images of the Equisetum—an over 100 million-year-old family of ferns—growing on the park.” The sculpture takes inspiration from the photographs of early 20th-century photographer Karl Blossfeldt and 19th-century German theologian Moritz Meurer. Blossfedt captured detailed black-and-white images of plants, while Meurer taught architectural botanical ornamentation. Due to the material of the columns, concrete and soap, they will change in color and form over the 12-month course of the installation. This public art installation is Yu’s first public art commission and her first solo presentation in New York City. The High Line will welcome more public art installations in the coming months including Gabriel Chaile’s The wind blows where it wishes in May, and Baseera Khan’s Painful Arc II (Shoulder-High) in June (pictured above).
