looking back at the 2024 top 10 public art projects

The year 2024 brought a range of public art projects that stood out for their creative use of materials, thoughtful integration with their surroundings, and the ways they engaged audiences. From Alex Chinneck’s playful sculptures in Bristol to JR’s rock-inspired installation in Milan, these works offered moments of surprise and reflection in shared spaces around the world. Highlights include Iván Argote’s Dinosaur, a towering aluminum pigeon overlooking New York’s High Line, and Veronika Sedlmair and Brynjar Sigurðarson’s Rainbow Fountain, which combines technology and natural elements to create fleeting rainbows over Germany’s River Enz. Felipe Pantone’s expansive OPTICHROMIE mural brought bold geometric patterns to the Jersey City skyline, while Nassia Inglessis’ Liquid Solid explored themes of transformation and impermanence against the backdrop of the Giza Plateau. This selection showcases a diverse array of approaches, from monumental murals to ephemeral installations, each contributing to a deeper dialogue between art and its environment. Here are the top 10 public art projects of 2024 that shaped the year in creativity.

ALEX CHINNECK KNOTS STREET LAMPS AND TWISTS A PHONE BOOTH FOR HIS ASSEMBLY BRISTOL SCULPTURES

image by Charles Emerson

British sculptor Alex Chinneck brings a playful touch to Assembly Bristol with three new hyperrealistic sculptures, complementing his earlier knotted post box Alphabetti Spaghetti on Cheese Lane. These metal creations include two street lamps: one tied like a ribbon, its head bowing downward, and another interlaced, resembling a tender embrace, aptly named First Kiss at Last Light. Both rise four meters high and illuminate the streets at night. The third piece, Wring Ring, is a twisted British phone booth with skewed glazed windows, installed outside Building A of Assembly Bristol. Together, these sculptures enhance the waterfront of the city, blending with the cobbled streets and the modern architecture by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris. Chinneck’s works highlight his signature manipulation of everyday objects but also add a sense of whimsy and surprise to functional street elements.

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IVÁN ARGOTE’S HYPERREALISTIC ALUMINUM PIGEON ‘DINOSAUR’ LANDS ABOVE THE HIGH LINE IN NEW YORK

image courtesy of Iván Argote and the High Line

Iván Argote’s Dinosaur, a 16-foot-tall aluminum pigeon, perches above New York City’s High Line Plinth from October 2024 to Spring 2026. This hyperrealistic, hand-painted sculpture reimagines the common pigeon as a monumental figure, flipping the narrative of dominance by towering over cars and pedestrians. The Colombian artist’s work celebrates the historical significance of the bird, from its evolutionary ties to dinosaurs to its vital role as a messenger in wartime, and reflects on themes of migration and resilience in the city’s immigrant-rich landscape. Dinosaur is the fourth commission for the Plinth program and Argote’s first major U.S. installation, infused with humor and social commentary while gazing unblinkingly over the bustling streets below.

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TADASHI KAWAMATA’S TUMBLING AVALANCHE OF WOODEN CHAIRS SWEEPS THROUGH PARIS COURTYARD

image © Dover Street Market

Tadashi Kawamata’s Avalanche, a site-specific installation at Dover Street Market Paris, transforms the courtyard into a spectacle of motion and force. Presented in collaboration with Phileo Paris and Adidas, the installation features hundreds of wooden chairs spilling from a window, creating the illusion of a massive wave crashing into the architectural space. Kawamata’s recurring use of recycled wood as both material and metaphor captures themes of movement, displacement, and overwhelming force. The installation integrates with the historic setting, amplifying its chaotic energy. Supported by PHILÉO Paris, Adidas, and Mennour gallery, a limited-edition sneaker designed with Philéo Landowski accompanies the project. 

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VERONIKA SEDLMAIR & BRYNJAR SIGURÐARSON’S FOUNTAIN SPRAYS EPHEMERAL RAINBOW ACROSS RIVER ENZ

In an interview with designboom, Veronika Sedlmair and Brynjar Sigurðarson discuss Haug Rainbow Fountain, their enchanting public artwork unveiled at Ornamenta 2024. Perched along the River Enz in Pforzheim, Germany, the bronze-cast sculpture depicts a mystical creature—part Icelandic elf, part water spirit—that emits an ephemeral mist, catching sunlight to create fleeting, kaleidoscopic rainbows. Despite its hollow, eerie skull housing high-tech sensors, Haug is a paradoxical blend of beauty and spookiness. ‘He looks a bit spooky, but he also has this ability to create such beauty,’ Sedlmair explains.

Part of the exhibition Bad Databrunn: On Bladders, Rainbows, and Less Screen Time, the installation is rooted in the Black Forest’s natural and industrial heritage, curated to draw people away from screens and reconnect them with the outdoors. Developed over three years in collaboration with local bronze manufacturers and physicists, Haug reimagines traditional craftsmanship, creating a dynamic and surreal transformation of light and water. The duo’s fascination with the region’s sunlight and river landscapes inspired their concept of a rainbow ‘looming over the river,’ reflecting their ongoing exploration of atmospheric optics.

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CENTRE POMPIDOU UNVEILS POLYCHROME SKATEABLE SCULPTURE FOR THE PARIS 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES

image by Fred Mortagne

In celebration of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, French artist Raphaël Zarka presents Cycloïd Piazza, a polychrome skateable sculpture installed at the Piazza of Centre Pompidou. Created in collaboration with architect Jean-Benoît Vétillard, the installation combines element of art, physics, and skateboarding culture, taking inspiration from Galileo’s 16th-century cycloid curve—the path of fastest descent—and blending it with modernist and constructivist influences from trailblazing artists like Katarzyna Kobro and Sonia Delaunay. Its ochre palette, featuring shades of red, green, and yellow, recalls both Renaissance hues and Le Corbusier’s 1931 modernist colors.

Designed as a ‘piazza on a piazza,’ the structure integrates ramps, ledges, stairs, podiums, and passageways, creating a versatile space for skaters, spectators, and visitors to engage. This installation marks the fourth in Zarka’s series of skateable sculptures, which began in New York in 2011. As a skater and author of multiple books on skateboarding, including A Chronicle of Skateboarding 1777-2009, Zarka sees the project as a culmination of his exploration of spatial dynamics and movement.

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FELIPE PANTONE’S ‘OPTICHROMIE FOR JERSEY CITY’ MARKS HIS LARGEST GRADIENT MURAL TO DATE

Felipe Pantone’s monumental public artwork OPTICHROMIE for Jersey City marks the Argentine-Spanish artist’s grand return to the US, nearly a year after his last mural in Ohio. Spanning 25 floors of a residential building by Urby at Summit and Magnolia Avenue, the piece is Pantone’s largest mural to date, covering 1,400 square meters (4,600 square feet). The digitized design, featuring his signature geometric patterns, gradients, and bold colors, stands in contrast to the muted tones of the New York skyline, cementing Pantone’s trademark fusion of art and technology.

The creation of OPTICHROMIE for Jersey City involved meticulous planning and a 25-day effort by Pantone and his team of five collaborators. Using nine-meter swing stages, they painted the towering facade one intricate design at a time, deploying rollers and an airless sprayer for the gradients. Over 170 gallons of paint were used to bring the 70 x 20-meter mural to life. The process wasn’t without challenges—they endured cold weather, rain, two earthquakes, and even witnessed a solar eclipse while working on the lift. The result is a dynamic interplay of vibrant jagged lines, monochrome TV-static corners, and blurred gradient pixels that transforms the Jersey City skyline.

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JR’S NEW MONUMENTAL ROCK INSTALLATION ‘LA NASCITA’ EMERGES IN FRONT OF MILAN CENTRAL STATION

image © designboom

French artist JR debuts his monumental installation La Nascita outside Milan Central Station, merging anamorphic art and architectural homage for Milan Design Week 2024. This work marks JR’s first foray into sculptural anamorphosis, showcasing printed images of rock formations on aluminum slats arranged across scaffolding. Inspired by the historical link of the station to the Alps and the excavation of the Simplon Tunnel, the installation transforms Piazza Duca d’Aosta into a layered rocky landscape. JR shares with designboom his vision that combines classical architectural styles with sustainability, utilizing local materials and recyclable components to create a lasting impression. Visitors can explore dual elements: towering facades and smaller ground-level structures, engaging with the illusionary ‘mountains’ and cavernous pathways. 

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ANDRÉS REISINGER’S BILLOWING PUBLIC ART TAKES OVER THE ANCIENT STREETS OF JEDDAH

Andrés Reisinger brings his Take Over series to the ancient streets of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with a monumental public art installation titled Take Over Jeddah. Featured in the Matters through Matter exhibition at Balad Al-Fann, this work transcends the physical and digital realms, reflecting Reisinger’s iconic billowing pink aesthetic. Set amidst Jeddah’s UNESCO-listed Old Town, the installation aligns with the Past Forward theme of the exhibition.

Standing seven meters tall, Take Over Jeddah appears to envelop a historic structure without physically touching it, symbolically engaging with the cultural significance of the site while leaving it untouched. This deliberate design choice provokes reflection on the value of neglected architectural heritage and its role in contemporary discourse. 

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BEHIN HA WEAVES TEMPORARY INSTALLATION WITH ORANGE FABRIC RIBBONS AT HANGZHOU COMPLEX

image by StudioSZ Photo

Behin Ha presents Circle and Square, a striking public art installation featuring 426 vibrant orange mesh fabric ribbons, currently on display at a new mixed-use development in Hangzhou, China. Commissioned for the opening of the complex, the installation will remain in place until June 2024. Drawing from Behin Ha’s past works like Coshocton Ray Trace in Ohio and Together Apart in Denmark, the design incorporates ribbons stretched between the roofline and the ground, anchored in circular arrays to form two distinct outdoor spaces. The interplay of transparency, density, and movement invites visitors to engage with the installation and explore the dynamic spaces within the ribbons.

Locally sourced materials and efficient construction methods underscore the commitment of the project to sustainability and cultural context. Its linear top anchors and curved ground patterns create a visually intricate structure, encouraging interaction and contemplation. Visitors are invited to rest, reflect, or gather, making Circle and Square an immersive addition to Hangzhou’s evolving cultural landscape.

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INTERVIEW: NASSIA INGLESSIS’ PYRAMID SCULPTURE MERGES HUMAN AND ELEMENTAL AT FOREVER IS NOW

As part of the Forever Is Now 04 exhibition, Nassia Inglessis of Studio INI unveils Liquid Solid on the iconic Giza Plateau, transforming sand into a ‘liquid solid’ form. In an interview with designboom, Inglessis explains how the translucent installation envisions a future monument rooted in the balance between humanity, technology, and nature. Activated by physical interaction, the sculpture draws on Inglessis’ Greek heritage and Egypt’s ancient architectural legacy, merging native sand with advanced materials like NASA-inspired aluminum honeycomb to explore themes of impermanence and adaptability.

Reflecting on her approach, Inglessis shares, ‘My works never define or prescribe a finished or crystallized form. They are only complete when the human is in interaction with them.’ Her perspective aligns with curator Nadine Abdel Ghaffar’s vision of art as a tool for rediscovery, linking past and present. By inviting interaction, Liquid Solid encourages visitors to reflect on their connection to nature, history, and their role in shaping the future. 

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