Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong: Light and Shadows

The artist Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong is interested in making public spaces come alive. She is known for sculptures that play with subtle refractions and permutations of light and shadow in their surrounding landscapes. Her work CURRENT is a sleek, triangular sculpture located along the Hudson River, designed to cast a shower of shifting hues and shadows that ebb and flow throughout the day like the waters nearby. The piece is built along the walkway for the Tappan Zee Bridge (now rebuilt and officially called the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge), marking a point of flux by drawing out the nearby rhythms of pedestrian activity and the natural environs.

Wong’s work responds to the idea that so-called “public spaces” in cities are not always designed to be welcoming or community-minded. Drawing on influences from performance arts, her works explore how public art can function as a catalyst for activity, gathering, and reflection — and help awaken dormant parts of a site.

I spoke to Wong about how she created CURRENT, and how her design changed from idea to execution. In a way, her work continues to change even after installation, as it responds to small stimuli such as bikers passing or snow falling. Although her work is large-scale and permanent, Wong is also