Art in the Park: Risha Gorig The Journey
March 31, 2026
NYC Parks Art in the Parks program and Prospect Park Alliance, the nonprofit that operates the park in partnership with the City, present The Journey by Risha Gorig. This site-specific installation, on the shoreline of the Prospect Park Lullwater near the park’s historic Boathouse, is on view through August 31, 2026.
The Journey depicts a flock of neon-pink kinetic birds suspended 15 feet in the air, wings catching and releasing with the wind. The work deploys allegory and ingenious engineering in equal measure, conjuring the act of migration as both literal phenomenon and lived condition.
The installation is a reminder that destination may change, but the search for sanctuary is a universal experience. During spring and fall migration, Prospect Park serves as a critical waypoint along the Atlantic Flyway for over 250 kinds of bird species, and is home to Brooklyn’s last remaining upland forest and only lake. It is also “Brooklyn’s Backyard,” welcoming more than 10 million visitors each year. The Boathouse is home to many of the Alliance’s nature exploration programs as the first urban Audubon Center in the nation.
“Bringing thought-provoking public artwork like The Journey to our public parks both enhances our public realm and sparks conversations among New Yorkers. This inventive installation speaks to Prospect Park’s critical role as a habitat for diverse wildlife and invites visitors to reflect on our connections to the natural world,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura. “We’re pleased to work with Risha Gorig and our partners at the Prospect Park Alliance to bring this art to ‘Brooklyn’s Backyard,’ and we look forward to welcoming New Yorkers to visit the installation soon.”
“We are thrilled to partner with our colleagues at NYC Parks to bring Risha’s revelatory work to Prospect Park,” said Prospect Park Alliance President Morgan Monaco. “As both a cultural destination and a haven for nature and wildlife, Prospect Park is the ideal setting for The Journey, and underscores our commitment to art and nature.”
Gorig describes her practice as being drawn to the place where urban landscape and nature converge, and speaks on the fragility of that coexistence. Raised in Munich by a family of artists, she transmutes difficult subject matter through play and curiosity. “Life can be harsh, beautiful, but cruel at times,” says artist Risha Gorig. “Surviving in urban landscapes such as our cities is hard for everybody—animals and humans alike. To find food and shelter and a place to call home is what we all strive for.”
Risha Gorig is a Brooklyn based multi-media artist/composer/and choreographer. She has worked with site specific outdoor projects, performance, dance, and video installations. She combines many of these elements which mix technology with fragility of humanity. She is interested in metaphors of time, death, and life. Gorig has presented site-specific installations in the Flatiron District and Union Square in New York (2025) and solo exhibitions at Galerie De Miguel, Munich, Germany (2001), Foraum, Munich, Germany (1998), and Zeitelvilla, Munich, Germany (1998). Her work has been included in group exhibitions at Space 414 Garden, Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY (2009), “Parallel Worlds,” ScalaMATA Exhibition Space, Venice, as part of the Venice Biennale (2009), Marktoberdorf Museum, Germany (2009), Art In Spite Of It All, New York, NY (2008), Apexart, New York, NY (2008), Fulton Park Brooklyn Bridge Group Show, Brooklyn, NY (2000), Fountain, Gowanus Canal, Brooklyn, NY (1999), and Visual Aids, New York, NY (2001), among others. She has performed at Dixon Place, New York, NY (2012), Knitting Factory, New York, NY (2012), The Gowanus Canal Art Space, Brooklyn, NY (2010), Foley Square, Manhattan, NY (2008), Parkside Lounge, New York, NY (2013), and Rawartshow, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY (2013). Learn more about her work at rishagorigart.com.
