All You Need to Know About Iván Argote’s Giant Pigeon Sculpture at The High Line

Who: Iván Argote is a Colombian artist based in Paris, France; with an international presence having shown in America, Denmark, Germany and other international art institutions and museums.

What: Dinosaur, is a 16–foot tall sculpture pigeon that shows a reverse dynamic between the human and the pigeon also known as “The Pigeon Onlooker.”

Where: In the intersection of 10th Avenue and 30th Street in New York City.

When: The colossal sized sculpture will be installed in October 2024 and will be up until spring 2026 for 18 months.

The High Line has done it again – this time, setting up a 16–foot tall sculpture in the city’s most beloved park by Colombian artist Iván Argote, the first Plinth artist from the global south, and the youngest yet. Basing its connection to the pigeon’s ancestry, the hand-painted “humorous” sculpture, titled “Dinosaur” intends to highlight the human-bird dynamic by portraying this symbolism in a reverse perspective. The size of the sculpture is meant to tower over the average New York pedestrian and honors the bird rather than being a staple figure of New York. Cecilia Alemani, the chief curator of High Line Art, is fascinated by the addition of this rather unusual sculpture and praises Argote’s contribution, “Iván has a charming ability as an artist to take something familiar and make us consider it anew in profound ways. His sculpture for the High Line Plinth adds a critical yet funny perspective to the ongoing dialogue of public art.”

Supporting this perspective, Executive Director of Friends of the High Line Alan van Capelle adds “the connections and conversations across cultures, affiliations, and backgrounds that public art inspires are among the High Line’s most important offerings.” The exhibition is the fourth in an ongoing program called Plinth, with Argote’s piece chosen out of eighty submissions. This display addresses the significance of the pigeon and also aims indirectly at the classical monuments built to honor historical figures who are neither “great” nor “honorable”.

Iván Argote’s true intention was to highlight the contribution of the nature of the pigeon but also highlight the importance of one’s origins, and to never forget where you came from. He points out that everyone is an immigrant, owing to his origins in Colombia. Dinosaur is set to be inaugurated in October 2024 and will stand until the spring of 2026.