A 27‑foot sandstone Buddha will soon take the place of the High Line’s much‑talked‑about giant pigeon, marking the latest chapter in the park’s rotating public art programme. The new sculpture, created by Vietnamese‑American artist Tuan Andrew Nguyen, is set to be installed this spring above the intersection of 10th Avenue and 30th Street, where it will remain on view for 18 months.
Titled The Light That Shines Through the Universe, the work pays tribute to the Bamiyan Buddhas — two monumental sixth‑century statues in Afghanistan destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. Their empty niches are now protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Nguyen’s piece aims to honour both their cultural significance and their loss.
The High Line says the sculpture’s title echoes the affectionate name once given to the larger Bamiyan Buddha, “Salsal”, meaning “the light shines through the universe”. Nguyen has incorporated melted artillery shells into the Buddha’s hands, shaping them into traditional mudras symbolising fearlessness and compassion. The hands are deliberately set apart from the body, a gesture meant to evoke resilience and the possibility of healing after violence.
The artist’s choice of materials also reflects on the legacy of the Vietnam War and the lasting trauma experienced by communities decades after the conflict. High Line Art’s director and chief curator, Cecilia Alemani, described the work as “a powerful and poetic counterpoint to extremism and iconoclasm”, adding that it serves as a reminder that shared cultural heritage can endure even after physical destruction.
The installation replaces Iván Argote’s Dinosaur, a 16‑foot pigeon sculpture that has occupied the Plinth since October 2024. Nguyen’s Buddha becomes the fifth commission in the High Line’s Plinth programme, which showcases large‑scale contemporary works in one of New York’s most visible public spaces.
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