The Greenway Conservancy in Boston announced two new sculptures to celebrate 2024 as the Year of the Dragon.
The pieces are collaborations with Massachusetts-based artists Ponnapa Prakkamakul and Zhidong Zhang and will be part of the park’s Chinese Zodiac series, according to a press release by the conservancy. Both sculptures will be placed in Auntie Kay and Uncle Frank Chin Park.
Year of the Dragon
Prakkamakul’s sculpture, titled Year of the Dragon, was installed in the park last week. The interactive dragon is 20 feet long, 7 feet tall, and 4 feet wide and is engraved with quotes from Boston’s Chinatown community.
“Prakkamakul’s Year of the Dragon draws on Chinese mythology, in which dragons are associated with rain, wind, and bodies of water,” the press release said. “Inspired by these ideas, Prakkamakul saw Chin Park’s serpentine-like form as a magical dragon that protects and brings joy to neighborhoods along Boston’s waterfront.”
The installment will also feature a large spinning kaleidoscope and a hand drum. In June, Prakkamakul will install the dragon’s 60 foot tail, which will stretch throughout the park.
“I believe that joy is a shared experience that can pass on from one person to another,” Prakkamakul said in a statement. “This collective experience brings people together and strengthens our sense of community, especially in a community experiencing transformation from gentrification. The installation aims to foster playful moments that spark joy and bring people together.”
On June 10, the Conservancy will host a Dragon Board Festival to celebrate Prakkamakul’s work. The piece will be on display through January 2025, according to the release.
Far Away, From Home
Zhang’s Far Away, From Home will be installed March 21 in Chin Park and welcomed with an opening reception.
“Zhang’s sculpture re-interprets the form of a familiar domestic shelving unit from their childhood home,” the release stated. “This curio cabinet, standing at more than eight feet tall and over six feet wide, serves as a display case for their photographic work.”
The piece is made with a variety of materials including latex balloons, domestic furniture, and tattoo sheets.
“What’s the role of art in times of crisis?” Zhang said in a statement. “How do we stretch and deepen our understanding of art as radical acts of care? This installation brings care and joy to the fore, as well as troubling our practices of navigating the binary systems that limit who we can be and what we can build together.”
Zhang’s piece will be on display from March 2024 to March 2025.
“In the spirit of the abundant and rejuvenating dragon, Prakkamakul and Zhang’s pieces center love, community, and identity at the heart of Chin Park,” said Adam Torres, the conservancy’s public art project manager. “We at the Conservancy are beyond excited to welcome these pieces to the park and to help facilitate their meaningful exchange.”
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