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Believe it or not, despite the plethora of public art pieces scattered throughout New York, no installation has been set up in Washington Square Park since 2017, when Ai Weiwei's exhibit “Good Fences Make Good Neighbors” was displayed. That’s about to change by the end of this month with the January 26 debut of artist Ryan Van Der Hout’s "To Reflect Everything," a 7-foot mirrored sculpture resembling a disco ball.
According to a press release, the piece invites viewers to explore themes of reflection, connection and transformation through its unique form and structure.
To celebrate the installation’s debut, which will be on view until March 30, NYC Parks Art and the Washington Square Park Conservancy have organized a grand opening event featuring a site-specific performance by Gino Romero.
untitled (to orbit Narcissus) draws from José Esteban Muñoz’s interpretation of the Narcissus myth about a handsome young man who, infatuated with his own reflection in a pool of water, falls to his death.
“Romero’s site-specific performance employs reflection and refraction as an invitation, using movement and mirrors to create a dialogue with To Reflect Everything,” reads the press release. “It fragments both the performer and the audience, exploring new ways of seeing and being.”
While downtown, we suggest you also take a trip up to Union Square, where two pink chairs are currently soaring 15 feet into the sky smack-dab in the middle of the park as part of "The Space Between Us," a project by artist, composer and sculptor Risha Gorig. Meant to represent the act of public discourse, elevating conversation far above the chaos of the city, the installation feels particularly timely given next week's Presidential Inauguration.