Artist Yvette Mayorga will unveil her largest public artwork, "Magic Grasshopper," in New York's Times Square in October. The 30-foot sculpture features a pink Baroque carriage with gold-rimmed wheels, drawn by four carousel horses wearing Hello Kitty backpacks, and is covered in Mayorga's signature faux frosting piped from pastry bags. The work draws on the artist's Mexican-American heritage, incorporating references to low-rider culture, the royal carriage of the Second Mexican Empire, and the Nahuatl origin of the name Chapultepec, which means "hill of the grasshopper."
The commission, organized by Times Square Arts, matters because it brings Mayorga's distinctive "Latinxcoco" aesthetic—blending Rococo style with Latinx experience—to one of the world's most visible public spaces. The sculpture functions as both a spectacle for tourists and a meaningful commentary for locals, addressing themes of migration, labor, colonial history, and the American Dream beneath its sugary exterior. It continues Times Square Arts' tradition of commissioning thought-provoking public art from contemporary artists like Thomas J Price and Laurie Simmons.