Magic Grasshopper is a large public artwork created by Yvette Mayorga, debuting on October 15 and available until December 2, 2025. The sculpture measures 30 feet and utilizes a maximalist aesthetic influenced by Latinx identity and Rococo style. It features thick acrylic paint applied through bakers' piping bags and symbolizes migration and colonial legacies. The installation includes whimsical elements like carousel horses with Hello Kitty backpacks and scenes of migration that reinterpret European art. It connects to historical themes in both European and Latin American contexts, and is accessible 24/7 in Times Square.
Magic Grasshopper is a metaphor, a vehicle, an archive, a monument. It's excessive and grand, but also incisive and delicate.
The piece embodies Mayorga's distinct alchemy of playfulness, possibility, and cultural critique.
Densely layered with references, the carriage will be adorned with carousel horses wearing Hello Kitty backpacks and filled with stacked suitcases.
The title refers to the English translation of Chapultepec -a Nahuatl word meaning 'hill of the grasshopper'- also a site of historical significance in Mexico City.
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