‘Justice Reflected’ Joins Battery Park City's Public Art Collection

NEW YORK CITY — The Battery Park City Authority has announced the addition of James Yaya Hough’s "Justice Reflected" to its permanent collection of world-class art and sculptures.

Justice Reflected’s three panels each present different topics related to the carceral system, officials told Patch.

The art installation will be on view to the public along a granite wall overlooking Esplanade Plaza and the Hudson River. Hough contrasts somber imagery with bright and bold colors, offering a sense of optimism for the future of a reformed carceral system, officials said.

“Challenging times require art that not only reveals us to ourselves, but lights the path to the best within ourselves,” artist James Yaya Hough said.

The original commission resulting in the creation of Justice Reflected was funded by the Art for Justice Fund, which invested in artists showing the human impact of mass incarceration through the transformative power of art.

“It is a privilege to announce the addition of Justice Reflected to Battery Park City Authority’s permanent collection of world-class public art,” Raju Mann, President & CEO, Battery Park City Authority told Patch. “BPCA is honored to showcase and steward Mr. Hough’s powerful work for generations of Battery Park City residents and visitors.”

Hough's work joins a group of artists who have made Battery Park City a global destination for public art —including Martin Puryear, Louise Bourgeois, Mary Miss, Ned Smyth, and others.

"It was always a priority for A4J to commission public art in NYC that would embody a message of hope and transformation, fortify our commitment to justice, and live well beyond the Fund,” Helena Huang, Project Director, Art for Justice Fund told Patch. “We could not be more grateful to James Hough for his brilliant creation, Justice Reflected, and our partners at BPCA for ensuring this dream became a reality.”