Woody De Othello's Guardian Spirit Brings Kongo Cosmology to Brooklyn Bridge Park
Guardian Spirit, Woody De Othello's inaugural solo outdoor exhibition in New York City, is showcased throughout Brooklyn Bridge Park. The display includes four monumental bronze sculptures alongside three newly crafted hand-carved redwood pieces, delving into nkisi and the spiritual dimensions of objects. The redwood sculptures—Awareness, Reverence, and Listening—feature designs of hands, kneeling figures, ears, and birds. Meanwhile, the bronze works—Capacity, Inner Knowing, and Involution—merge ears and hands with trumpet-like shapes. Born in Miami to Haitian parents, De Othello draws from African and diasporic traditions. His latest exhibition at Pérez Art Museum Miami examined the connections between body, earth, and spirit. Public Art Fund presents Guardian Spirit.
Key facts
- Guardian Spirit is Woody De Othello's first solo outdoor exhibition in New York City.
- The exhibition is installed across Brooklyn Bridge Park and presented by Public Art Fund.
- It includes four large-scale bronzes and three new hand-carved redwood sculptures.
- Redwood works are titled Awareness, Reverence and Listening; bronzes include Capacity, inner knowing, Involution, and thought in mind.
- De Othello was born in Miami to Haitian parents.
- His recent exhibition coming forth by day at Pérez Art Museum Miami was his first solo museum presentation in his hometown.
- He draws on Kongo funerary practices, nkisi power figures, Dogon ritual objects, Egyptian pyramids, and Robert Farris Thompson's Flash of the Spirit.
- His daughter Violet is seven months old and has influenced his views on mortality and time.
Entities
Artists
- Woody De Othello
- Tara Fay Coleman
- Robert Farris Thompson
- Michael Pollan
- Violet
Institutions
Locations
- Miami
- United States
- Brooklyn
- New York City
- New York
- Haiti
- Brooklyn Bridge Park
- Kongo