The Light That Shines Through the Universe

Vietnamese American artist Tuan Andrew Nguyen unveils a 27-foot Buddha on the High Line Plinth, transforming loss and memory into a powerful public art installation. Nguyen's sculpture reimagines one of the two Bamiyan Buddhas, monumental sixth-century figures carved into cliffs in central Afghanistan and destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. Rather than creating a literal replica, Nguyen describes the work as an 'echo' — a resurrection through memory. Made of sandstone and reimagined using melted brass artillery shells and scrap metal sourced from Afghanistan, the hands form traditional Buddhist mudras, gestures associated with compassion and fearlessness.