New York is officially losing its favorite oversized resident. When that colossal, hyper-realistic pigeon touched down on the High Line, we didn’t blink–we’re New Yorkers; we’ve seen weirder things on the L train. But 18 months later, we’re unironically obsessed with Dinosaur. This is, after all, the bird that inspired a full-blown pigeon impersonation pageant
Sadly, it’s time for our 17-foot friend to fly the coop. But don’t worry, the High Line isn’t staying empty–there’s a new giant moving into the neighborhood…and when we say giant we mean giant.
Introducing: The Light That Shines Through the Universe
In Spring 2026, the High Line will welcome its fifth Plinth commission: a breathtaking, 27-foot-tall sandstone Buddha statue that promises to bring some serious zen to 10th Avenue. We’ve gone from honoring the city’s scrappiest survivors to seeking universal light. It’s a classic New York character arc, really.
Titled The Light That Shines Through the Universe, the sculpture, by artist Tuan Andrew Nguyen, is a “reincarnation” of one of the Bamiyan Buddhas–monumental statues carved into an Afghan cliffside over a millennium ago that were tragically destroyed in 2001. Cecilia Alemani, the Donald R. Mullen, Jr. Director & Chief Curator of High Line Art, stated:
Tuan Andrew Nguyen’s The Light That Shines Through the Universe…stands today as a powerful and poetic counterpoint to extremism and iconoclasm we continue to witness globally. By resurrecting the memory of the lost Bamiyan Buddhas [the sculpture] reminds us that cultural treasures—and shared history—can transcend physical destruction.
Nguyen’s work is a profound meditation on cultural loss and the enduring human spirit.
The title itself is a poetic nod to history. “Salsal” (meaning “the light shines through the universe”) was the affectionate nickname local communities gave to the largest of the original Buddhas. Nguyen isn’t just creating a replica; he’s creating an “echo” of a treasure the world thought was lost forever.
Healing Through History
What makes this 27-foot giant particularly moving is the material hidden within the art.
Nguyen, who lives and works in Vietnam, has reimagined the Buddha’s hands–lost to iconoclasm centuries before the statues were fully destroyed–by casting them from melted-down brass artillery shells.
By using the literal “ticking time bombs” left over from the Vietnam War, Nguyen explores the circular nature of reincarnation.
He takes objects designed for destruction and reshapes them into mudras–ritual hand gestures signifying fearlessness and compassion. There is a intentional, visible gap between these brass “prosthetics” and the sandstone body, a haunting reminder that while some damage to our history and our bodies is irreparable, there is always a path toward healing and repair.
The Passing of the Torch
The Light That Shines Through the Universe will be installed on the High Line at the intersection of 10th Avenue and 30th Streets in Spring 2026, where it will tower over Chelsea for 18 months.
In a city that never stops moving, Nguyen’s Buddha offers a “towering call to remembrance.” It serves as a powerful counterpoint to the erasure of cultural identity, reminding us that even when physical monuments are broken and scattered, our collective memory remains the ultimate antidote to destruction.
We have a few more months to snap selfies with our favorite oversized bird before he departs. It’s a classic New York transition: moving from the chaotic energy of a 17-foot pigeon to a 27-foot beacon of peace.