Thursday, April 24, 2025 – LOTS OF NEW ART TO SEE ALL IN EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD


OUTDOOR ART
TO SEE DURING
THE NEXT MONTH
TIMEOUT NEW YORK
Thursday, April 24, 2025
ISSUE #1433

If you find yourself in Union Square these days, you’d be remiss not to do a double-take: that’s because there are currently two pink chairs facing each other while soaring 15 feet into the sky smack-dab in the middle of the park as part of a new public art installation.
Dubbed “The Space Between Us,” the project is by artist, composer and sculptor Risha Gorig, and it has a deep meaning behind it. The two soaring chairs are meant to represent the act of public discourse, elevating conversation far above the chaos of the city.
“The Space Between Us” will be on display through May of 2025.

“Rappin’ Max Robot,” a towering 18-foot-tall, 7,000-pound metal sculpture is now hanging out in Brooklyn Borough Hall Plaza. The piece was created by Welder Underground, a Bushwick-based apprenticeship program for welders and fabricators, and it pays homage to the titular character in Eric Orr’s 1986 comic book.
If Max looks fairly familiar, it’s because the statue was initially installed outside of the Hip Hop Museum in the Bronx. Following ita tenure at Brooklyn Borough Hall Plaza, the art piece will then be permanently installed at Place de la Bataille-de-Stalingrad in Paris. See it in Brooklyn through April 2025.

Photograph: By Nicholas Knight / Courtesy of Public Art Fund
Puerto Rican artist Edra Soto is known for her larger-than-life sculptures, which challenge the viewer to think about identity, colonialism and social justice.
Her latest installation, now on view at the Doris C. Freedman Plaza in Central Park, does just that: Graft is an eye-catching sculpture based on rejas, the wrought iron screens frequently seen inside homes throughout Puerto Rico.
Made from steel and terrazo, the piece serves as an homage to Puerto Rico’s working class communities, with one side representing a home’s exterior and the other reflecting the privacy and intimacy of its interior.
The sculpture will be on display until August 24, 2025.

Photograph: Eugene Krasnaok, Gillie and Marc
It’s time to Oc-topi Wall Street!
Gillie and Marc, the renowned artistic duo known for a number of larger-than-life wildlife sculptures, are exhibiting an array of animal sculptures outside the World Trade Center, including the world’s largest octopus sculpture!
The exhibition named “Wildlife Wonders” includes three interactive bronze works from other pieces that feature their main two iconic characters, Rabbitwomen and Dogman, as well as sculptures of a range of endangered species. The spotlight, however, is on the giant octopus, which spans a whopping 36 feet and weighs around 7 tons. Woven throughout the animal’s eight tentacles are numerous endangered species, like rhinos and zebras. See it through July 31, 2025.

Photograph: courtesy of Snoeman
If you’ve spent any amount of time in Upper Manhattan, chances are you’ve seen a mysterious figure spray painting local storefronts in brightly colored hues.
Snoeman, a beloved NYC-based graffiti artist, likes to keep a low profile. On the streets, it’s unlikely you’ll recognize him without a spray can in his hands and a protective mask over his face. Online, you’ll find nothing more than a partly-covered profile. But the same can’t be said for Snoeman’s work—a bold, unique style that is instantly recognizable from miles away.
Since the start of the pandemic, Snoeman has been at work beautifying bodega exteriors in Washington Heights and beyond. The artist’s use of vivid color and thick lines, most times paired with uplifting messages and signature figures, has helped local businesses gain attention while livening up surrounding neighborhoods. Take a stroll through the neighborhood and see how many you can find.

There’s a massive sea serpent on the loose in the Rockaways with an uncanny resemblance to a subway train. This silvery gray creature snakes through an empty lot, but it comes in peace.
“Subway Sea Serpent,” the latest sculpture by Zaq Landsberg and Joey Castillo is now on view indefinitely at Beach 60th Street and Rockaway Beach Boulevard.
The artists were inspired by the A train, the crucial subway line that links the Rockaways to the rest of New York City. Located not far from subway station, it looks as if the artwork jumped from the elevated tracks to burrow through the ground in search of the beach. Segments of the cars peek above the grass as if the serpent’s swimming through the dirt.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
A NEW PARK IN THE MAKING.
WHAT IS BEHIND THE CONSTRUCTION FENCE
BETWEEN 460 AND430 MAIN STREET?
THE WORK IS UNDERWAY TO GRADE THIS STEEP
AREA INTO A CONTINUATION OF THE COMMONS.
LANDSCAPING WORK WILL BE COMPLETED LATER THIS SUMMER.

CREDITS
TIMEOUT NEW YORK
JUDITH BERDY
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated
THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.


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rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com
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