Tuan Andrew Nguyen installs 27-foot Buddha sculpture on Manhattan's High Line

3 articles · Updated · Hyperallergic · Apr 24

The artwork, titled "The Light That Shines Through the Universe," was installed at West 30th Street and 10th Avenue and will remain on view through Spring 2027.
Nguyen's sculpture, featuring hands cast from melted Afghan artillery brass, echoes the destroyed Bamiyan Buddhas and incorporates symbolic Buddhist mudras representing fearlessness and compassion.
Selected from nearly 60 proposals, the piece aims to keep the memory of the Bamiyan Buddhas alive, offering Manhattan a symbol of resilience and intercultural exchange amid contemporary global turmoil.

Can a sculpture in Manhattan truly influence the protection of heritage sites in Iran?

Does placing a symbol of ancient tragedy in a modern park risk trivializing its meaning?

Beyond art, what practical steps can prevent the next Bamiyan-style destruction?

Are international laws to protect cultural sites failing in the face of modern warfare?

How does using repurposed war scrap to form gestures of peace redefine resilience?

What does this 'echo' of a lost Buddha teach us about memory and time?