“Monster” Installation on New Jersey Oceanfront Unveiled on Fifth Anniversary of Hurricane Sandy

A new outdoor art installation, entitled Monster, has been unveiled on the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Sandy. Situated on the oceanfront of Mantoloking, New Jersey, the piece was conceived by artist Ivan Wong (represented by American fine art studio DANIELLE) and will be on view indefinitely, starting October 30, 2017.

The installation, which is comprised of an enamel and vinyl billboard measuring 48″ by 96,” stands next to a throughway in a “particularly vulnerable” location where the ocean breached the shore during the storm. Now, it’s an empty ocean-front site — but Wong’s piece recreates the surrounding environment: on the billboard, is a painting that depicts the intersection of the sky and ocean. The image is overlaid with the word “monster” in Japanese, which rises out of the ocean; the text is made from transparent vinyl that appears and disappears depending on the light and angle of viewing.

“Monster embodies the collision of government and nature and is Wong’s impassioned response to increasing threats of natural and human-made disasters,” a press release states. “Addressing the idea of what is known versus what is not known – or the unknown as it manifests itself and becomes known – the artwork alludes to current fears and ignorance, often resulting from abuses of power and its ramifications.”

Wong’s installation is the influenced by his own fascination with Japanese cinema and science fiction, in addition to his experience growing up under the threat of nuclear attack during the Vietnam War. The vinyl, as a result, draws parallels between Godzilla and the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy, which was the deadliest hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season (and the second-costliest hurricane in United States history).

View Monster now on 207 Ocean Avenue in Mantoloking, New Jersey.

Next, check out NYC’s Transit Response to Crises: New York Transit Museum Recalls Hurricane Sandy and see the Bundle of Shimmering Tubes Selected as Winner of NYC’s Flatiron Public Plaza Holiday Design Competition.