Destinations give my city walks a purpose. And so I’ve begun walking to the various art installation around the city. After my visit, I upload my photos on Instagram, which post to my Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Seeing these musings, my friend and theatre critic Sandi Durrell (TheaterPizzazz) wrote asking me to pen an article about my explorations during COVID for her site. “Nothing keeps a wanderer like you down!”

And so with this article, I’m introducing a new feature about the free art installations around the Big Apple.

The first one is King Nyani (Swahili for “gorilla”),  a gigantic bronze gorilla statue (the largest in the world, in fact!) located in Hudson Yards. The statue comes from world-renowned public artists Gillie and Marc Schattner, who have dedicated their lives to saving endangered species through their works. They brought King Nyani to Bella Abzug Park in Hudson Yards to help raise awareness and funds for the critically endangered gorilla species.

The artists write, “Inspired by King Kong, King Nyani is changing the narrative that gorillas and NYC share. Reaching out a giant hand, he is here not to dominate and destroy, but to build friendship and love, showing the real nature of gorillas. With his hand large enough to fit 3 people, the public will be able to look up into his gentle eyes and feel the safety that he brings to his family, an interactive experience like never before.

All gorillas are critically endangered and desperately need help. There may be only 1000 mountain gorillas left in the wild and fewer than 3800 eastern lowland gorillas. King Nyani brings the opportunity for NYC to become the champions of all gorillas, helping to save one of our closest relatives.”

When: Until May 24, 2021

Where: Bella Abzug Park, Hudson Blvd. bet. W. 36 St. and W. 33 St, Manhattan