A nine-foot-tall sculpture pays homage to Kings County hip hop’s royalty; The Notorious B.I.G has been erected in Brooklyn.
The artist, Sherwin Banfield, tells Artnet News: “I’m a traditionally trained figurative sculptor and wanted to take something classic then remix or sample it with something new and fresh.” The sculpture was cast in the Brooklyn foundry owned by Bill Makky, the same foundry responsible for bronzing the much-recognized Wall Street Bull. Using resin, a sealant used to protect surfaces from water damage, corrosion, or staining; the sculpture is decorated with Biggie’s first studio album. It features a crowned head of the Brooklyn native and hip-hop legend, who was gunned down in 1997. He was just 24 years old when he was killed.
This towering sculpture, titled Sky’s the Limit in the County of Kings, is the latest art project funded by the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and the Dumbo Improvement District, two organizations dedicated to enhancing the cultural life of local spaces. “Giving space to new kinds of monuments and works is what a public art fund is all about,” said Alexandria Sica, President of the Dumbo Improvement District. “This is a spectacular piece that will greet countless New Yorkers.”
Earlier in the year, there was an open call for proposals from local artists who wanted to showcase an art piece that would live at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. With the 5oth anniversary of hip-hop just around the corner, Banfield’s piece, titled “Sky’s the Limit in the County of Kings,” stood out to panelists who helped select an exhibit. “We were really, really careful once we received all these wonderful proposals to make sure that we were choosing projects that really spoke to what was unique about downtown Brooklyn and Dumbo — pieces that really activated our neighborhood with really forward thinking and provocative work and I think this piece really fits into that way of thinking,” said Regina Myer, president of Downtown Brooklyn Partnership.
“Sky’s the Limit in the County of Kings” will remain on display through the spring of 2023.
