A woman sitting next to a sculpture being installed.

Madison Square Park welcomes a gleaming golden giant, by an artist known for miniatures

WNYC News | Jan 17, 2023

A new visitor has arrived at Madison Square Park. Gleaming, golden and 18 feet high, the mythological-looking figure is a sculpture made by the renowned Pakistani-American artist Shahzia Sikander, a MacArthur “genius” grant recipient best known for reimagining Indo-Persian miniature paintings.

The piece, called "Witness," is the first large-scale public art sculpture Sikander has made. It's part of her new multimedia exhibition called "Havah...to breathe, air, life," which officially opens to the public today. The installation was co-commissioned by Madison Square Park Conservancy and Public Art University of Houston System.

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