British artist Thomas J Price has installed a 12-foot-tall bronze sculpture titled *Grounded in the Stars* (2023) in New York’s Times Square, on view until 17 June. The work depicts a fictionalized woman in a contemplative contrapposto pose, finished in matte black, and is placed at street level rather than on a pedestal. Concurrently, Price’s *Man Series* (2005–present) will be shown on the square’s 95 giant screens every night in May as part of Times Square Arts’ *Midnight Moments* series. The sculpture was previously featured in Price’s 2023 solo exhibition at Hauser & Wirth’s Downtown Los Angeles location, and his New York gallery show *Resilience of Scale* runs until 14 June.
This installation matters because it challenges the conventions of public monuments and the frantic pace of Times Square. Price’s work deliberately subverts traditional monumental forms—eschewing bombast and didacticism—and instead offers a quiet, introspective presence that invites viewers to reflect on who and what is typically elevated in public statuary. By placing a figure of a Black woman at close to street level, Price prompts audiences to question their assumptions about race, gender, and representation in public space. The project also critiques the attention economy of Times Square, using the city’s most commercialized arena to deliver a slow, contemplative artistic experience.