Lady Liberty is coming to Arlington. Wait, no, not that Lady Liberty. We’re talking about Zaq Landsberg’s 25-foot Reclining Liberty.
It will be installed on the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington’s front lawn at 3550 Wilson Blvd. and stay on display from August 5 to July 28, 2024, thanks to MoCA Arlington and Arlington Public Art.
The statue itself “takes inspiration from the giant reclining Buddha statues of Asia, which represent the Buddha in one stage on the path to enlightenment and are a theme throughout Buddhist art,” according to a news release.
“I’ve been following Zaq’s practice for many years and when I saw Reclining Liberty, I knew it was the perfect work to bring to Arlington,” Blair Murphy, MoCA Arlington’s curator of exhibitions, said.
“I love that the work brings the statue down to the eye level (and reach) of the public. Its playfulness and accessibility suggest that the ideals of liberty and freedom represented by the Statue of Liberty are active, tangible, and evolving and need to be directly engaged with, debated, and defended.”
This marks the first time Reclining Liberty has been on display outside of New York and New Jersey.
There will be an opening celebration and public picnic from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on August 5, 2023
Feature image courtesy MoCA Arlington
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