Triumph of the Human Spirit at Foley Square

Artist: Lorenzo Pace

Commissioner: City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs Percent for Art Program

Collection: Art in the Parks - NYC Department of Parks and Recreation

Date: Installed, 1999

The monument Triumph of the Human Spirit is one of the world's largest site-specific installations, venerating the experience of African American enslavement. Towering at over fifty feet and weighing more than 300 tons, the massive black granite sculpture was built on a rediscovered African burial ground. The sculpture depicts an abstract female antelope form, mounted on a boat shaped base. According to the artist, the piece is inspired by "Chi Wara" an antelope effigy from Mali, West Africa that symbolizes a responsibility for continuing the next generation and for celebrating a successful harvest. Triumph of the Human Spirit serves as a monument to honor all Africans brought to America but is also dedicated to all ancestors as well as the future generations to come.

Triumph of the Human Spirit styled after an antelope-inspired African headdress worn by the people of Mali, West Africa The base of the sculpture contains a replica of the iron lock that shackled artist Lorenzo Pace great grandfather when he was brought to America from Africa.