"Peace Like a River" opens in Hunter's Point South Park
We are pleased to announce the unveiling of "Peace Like a River", a new public art installation by Romanian-American artist Leonard Ursachi, located near the main entrance of Hunter's Point South Park in Long Island City, Queens. The installation will be on view from October 26, 2024 through April 26, 2025.
Please join us for the opening reception on Saturday, October 26, between 4:00 - 6:00 PM, in the presence of the artist.
About the Artwork
"Peace Like a River" is a thought-provoking, site-specific installation that explores the layered history of the city's landscapes. It engages viewers with the transformative past of the East River, once indigenous land, then farmland, later a polluted industrial zone, and now a revitalized wetland. This area, likely a salt marsh centuries ago, has become a symbol of ecological resilience and regeneration.
The installation features six large-scale sculptures made from a massive piece of driftwood that Ursachi salvaged from the East River years ago. This driftwood - once a living tree - was cast and transformed into sculptures sprayed with metallic automotive paint, creating a tactile, palimpsestic surface that still reveals the texture of the wood grain.
Ursachi's art often reflects on humanity's relationship with and impact on nature. "The colors of 'Peace Like a River' represent the four seasons," the artist explains, "but underneath the bucolic imagery lies the sharp, industrial edge of car paint, suggesting the tension between nature and urbanization."
As an extension of the project, two additional sculptures from the "Peace Like a River" series will be exhibited at the Romanian Cultural Institute in Manhattan and at Zarolat Gallery in DUMBO, Brooklyn.
About the Artist
LEONARD URSACHI was born in Vaslui, Romania during the communist era. He began his fine art studies at the University of Bucharest and, after defecting to France, continued at the Sorbonne in Paris, where he lived and exhibited for several years. Ursachi then left Paris and made his way to Brooklyn, New York via Toronto. He has been living and working in New York since 1987.
The project is organized by NYC City Parks and supported by the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York and the FPI Art Initiative.
Photo Gallery
