Artist Haegue Yang will create an aerial sculpture at John F. Kennedy International Airport’s Terminal 6, scheduled for completion in 2026.

The public art project, which will feature 18 artists from seven countries, including Charles Gaines and Barbara Kruger, will bring cultural dynamism and vitality to JFK International Airport, one of the largest gateways into the United States and a global crossroads, with site-specific works. With a total budget of $22 million, the public art project will give JFK the largest art collection of any airport in New York.

The final 18 artists were selected by a committee of officials and art world experts. Given the iconic nature of JFK International Airport and the city of New York as a hub for people from all over the world, the artists were selected to reflect a broader range of voices, including those from New York and those who are not just from New York, but who are socially, culturally, and

Haegue Yang, who has often installed her works in the air, will install them under the high skylights at the intersection of escalators and passageways between terminals, where many travelers come and go. It is expected to be interesting to see how Yang, who has presented her artistic interests in mental homelessness or immigration and migration in an abstract language, will interpret the airport as a place of travel, migration, and movement, and the artist’s ongoing interest in the airport, which symbolizes travel, migration, and movement, will gain new meaning. Yang explains the meaning of the project as follows.

“Migration and movement are not just limited to expressing the phenomenon of reality. They also signify an unfixed spirit. We are beings who constantly generate movement through changing thoughts and newly created ideals, and the ‘migration’ brought about by this mental movement creates space for us to be with others.”

References

• 양혜규, Haegue Yang (Artist Website)
• 코리안 중앙데일리 (Korean Joongang Daily)