Paola Pivi's Emoji-Faced Statue of Liberty on NYC's High Line
Through March 2023, a bronze replica of the Statue of Liberty by artist Paola Pivi stands on the High Line in Manhattan, its face changing every two months to display different emoji-inspired masks. Titled "You know who I am," the public sculpture is the first commission of the season from the nonprofit High Line Art. Over the course of the exhibition, six masks will represent six different stories, including Pivi's personal experience with her adopted son, who was born stateless in India and faced a long process to obtain US citizenship. The sculpture was cast at Fonderia Artistica Battaglia in Milan, using a historical plaster cast of the original model by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, currently on view at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. The finished statue was installed seven meters above the High Line.
Key facts
- Paola Pivi created a bronze replica of the Statue of Liberty for the High Line in New York.
- The sculpture is titled 'You know who I am'.
- It is the first commission of the season by High Line Art.
- The statue's face changes every two months with emoji-inspired masks.
- Six masks will represent six different stories over the exhibition.
- One story involves Pivi's adopted son, born stateless in India, gaining US citizenship.
- The sculpture was cast at Fonderia Artistica Battaglia in Milan.
- It used a historical plaster cast of Bartholdi's original model from the Musée d'Orsay.
- The statue is installed seven meters above the High Line.
- The exhibition runs until March 2023.
Entities
Artists
- Paola Pivi
- Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi
Institutions
- High Line Art
- Fonderia Artistica Battaglia
- Musée d'Orsay
Locations
- New York
- Manhattan
- High Line
- West Side
- Hudson River
- Milan
- Paris
- India