Buddha Sculpture Shines on NYC’s High Line
By Darren Smith, Arts Reporter
April 27, 2026
NEW YORK — A 27-foot-tall sandstone Buddha now stands sentinel above the bustling streets of Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, its warm, weathered form offering a quiet counterpoint to the glass skyscrapers and ceaseless flow of traffic below. Titled The Light That Shines Through the Universe, the monumental sculpture by Vietnamese American artist Tuan Andrew Nguyen is the fifth commission for the High Line Plinth. It was recently unveiled at the elevated park’s prominent Spur at West 30th Street and 10th Avenue.
The work pays direct homage to the colossal Bamiyan Buddhas, two sixth-century statues carved into the cliffs of central Afghanistan’s Bamiyan Valley that once stood as symbols of cultural exchange along the ancient Silk Road. In March 2001, the Taliban destroyed the figures in a widely televised act of iconoclasm, reducing the larger “Salsal” Buddha—whose name translates to “the light that shines through the universe”—to empty niches in the rock face.
Nguyen’s sculpture does not seek to replicate the originals exactly. Instead, it resurrects their memory as an intentional echo: a towering sandstone body carved with the textured folds and weathered surface reminiscent of the ancient monuments, yet deliberately incomplete. The figure’s hands—detached and floating on slender poles—are cast in gleaming brass, formed from melted artillery shells and scrap metal sourced from Afghanistan. These repurposed materials of war now gesture in traditional Buddhist mudras of fearlessness (Abhaya) and compassion (Varada), transforming instruments of violence into emblems of healing and resilience.
“Decades after the world watched the televised destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas—a catastrophic act of cultural erasure—Tuan has brought one of their silhouettes back to life in New York City,” said Cecilia Alemani, the Donald R. Mullen, Jr. Director & Chief Curator of High Line Art. The piece was selected from nearly 60 proposals and produced in Vietnam, where Nguyen collaborated with local artisans before the components were shipped and reassembled on site.
Born in 1976 in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Tuan Andrew Nguyen fled Vietnam with his family as refugees in 1979, eventually settling in the United States. He earned a BFA from the University of California, Irvine, and an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts. He later returned to Vietnam, where he co-founded the artist-run space Sàn Art and the collective The Propeller Group. His multidisciplinary practice—spanning film, sculpture, and installation—consistently explores themes of memory, war trauma, and political resistance. In 2025, Nguyen received a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship for his ability to give aesthetic form to the enduring repercussions of violence and dispossession.
The Light That Shines Through the Universe continues this trajectory, inviting viewers to confront the fragility of cultural heritage while finding hope in acts of remembrance and material transformation. Positioned high above 10th Avenue, the sculpture catches the sunlight on its brass hands, creating a shimmering beacon visible to pedestrians, cyclists, and commuters alike. It will remain on view through fall 2027, becoming a new landmark for the High Line, which has drawn millions since its opening as a public park built on a historic elevated rail line.
Art critics have praised the work’s poignant layering of histories. The sculpture stands not only as a memorial to loss in distant Afghanistan but also as a meditation on how communities worldwide grapple with erasure and the impulse to rebuild meaning from fragments.
The High Line Plinth program, launched to foster community and dialogue through ambitious public art, has previously featured works by artists such as Simone Leigh and Iván Argote. Nguyen’s commission elevates the series by bridging global histories with the intimate experience of walking through a city park.
In an era marked by ongoing conflicts and cultural tensions, The Light That Shines Through the Universe serves as a powerful reminder of art’s capacity to preserve memory and imagine renewal. Visitors to the High Line are encouraged to experience the sculpture in person—pausing amid the urban rush to reflect on the light that persists even after destruction.
Experience the installation for yourself: Visit the High Line Plinth at 30th Street and 10th Avenue. Learn more about the artist and the project at thehighline.org. Explore Tuan Andrew Nguyen’s broader practice via his representation at James Cohan Gallery. Read the full announcement and coverage in The Art Newspaper or Hyperallergic. For deeper context on the Bamiyan Buddhas and the artist’s work, see the official High Line page and related reports. Support public art initiatives by becoming a member of Friends of the High Line.
Darren Smith is an arts journalist, practicing artist, and tattooist with 26+ years of experience across traditional, digital, and body art practices. He covers the intersections of craft, culture, and collecting for ArtChain News.
