On Thursday, a trio of statues was unveiled in Union Square, depicting civil rights leader John Lewis, and George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, who were killed by police. They will remain on view—placed in front of the park's permanent George Washington monument—through October 30th, before moving on to other cities. At the end of the tour, they will be auctioned off, with proceeds going to charities linked to each.
The public art installation is called SEEINJUSTICE, and each 10-foot-tall piece was created by artist Chris Carnabuci from precision-cut wood, and coated with bronze paint.
Carnabuci said, "As a result of the death of George Floyd, there came a global awareness and understanding of the plague of injustice across the world. The exhibit represents this global understanding, and from understanding comes action, and from action comes change."
The pieces are supported by the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation, and the families of Floyd and Taylor. George Floyd's brother, Terrence Floyd, was at the unveiling this week, and ABC7NY reports he told the crowd, "This is the first time there's been a sculpture like this in NYC, usually it's a mural on a wall, so change is here, change is here."
According to Artnet, "Family members, hip hop musicians, and other social figures have added inscriptions to the base of each."
The exhibition comes from a new organization, Confront Art, which aims to bridge "monuments with movements." This summer, the Floyd statue was installed at Flatbush Junction, and had to be refurbished after it was vandalized.
