The High Line today announced the selection of Tuan Andrew Nguyen’s The Light that Shines Through the Universe as the next High Line Plinth commission. The Light that Shines Through the Universe reinvisages, in 27 feet of sandstone, one of the Bamiyan Buddhas, the monumental statues hewn more than a millennium ago in a cliff in Afghanistan, and destroyed by the Taliban in an act of iconoclasm 25 years ago come March 2026. The fifth High Line Plinth commission, Nguyen’s artwork is a profound monument to cultural loss and enduring spirit. Carved in Vietnam, the sculpture will be installed on the High Line in New York City over the intersection of 10th Avenue and 30th Streets in Spring 2026, and will be on view for 18 months.
"Tuan Andrew Nguyen’s The Light that Shines Through the Universe is a timely monument for our public space,” said Cecilia Alemani, the Donald R. Mullen, Jr. Director & Chief Curator of High Line Art. “It stands today as a powerful and poetic counterpoint to extremism and iconoclasm we continue to witness globally. By resurrecting the memory of the lost Bamiyan Buddhas, The Light that Shines Through the Universe reminds us that cultural treasures—and shared history—can transcend physical destruction.”
“This sculpture is a towering, 27-foot call to remembrance, asserting that our collective memory and our shared humanity remain the most enduring antidote against those who seek to break and scatter the human spirit," said Alan van Capelle, executive director of Friends of the High Line. “What happened to the Buddhas of Bamiyan is not unique and is particularly resonant for many people across this country today who face a real fear of erasure and cultural persecution. A work of this magnitude requires a platform of equal magnitude, and I hope its debut on the Plinth offers people a powerful place to connect and find strength in this moment.”
Ngyuen’s sculpture pays homage to the Bamiyan Buddhas, two 6th-century colossal statues in central Afghanistan that were tragically destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, all that is left are two empty niches carved out of the mountain where the statues once stood. Prior to their destruction, the Bamiyan Buddhas held deep significance across different cultures and religions, even as Afghanistan shifted to become an entirely Islamic nation. They represented a blending of cultures and the lasting impact of the Silk Road economy, as the valley served as an influential meeting point at the intersection of trade routes from China, India, and Persia.