Newark Terminal A

Between the Future Past celebrates the abundant diversity of Newark, New Jersey, and the New York metropolitan area. Layqa Nuna Yawar has reimagined the format of a historical mural to reflect an ongoing cycle of time that embraces past, present, and future. Drawing on his indigenous heritage and Kichwa language, he sees the mural as “a looped narrative that can be read from right to left and left to right.” The artwork features native flora and fauna, emphasizing nature as a symbol of growth. It is populated by a wide range of individuals across time, culture, race, and gender, highlighting narratives of personal accomplishment and perseverance that have often been overlooked. People brought by successive waves of global migration, including those from Black, Brown, Asian, and Middle Eastern backgrounds, as well as Indigenous people, are represented in this expansive vision. From airport workers to poets to LGBTQ+ heroes, Layqa Nuna Yawar’s mural rethinks who should be celebrated publicly, proposing that all individuals are equally remarkable in their humanity.

Layqa Nuna Yawar (b. 1984, Cuenca, Ecuador lives and works in Newark, NJ)
Between the Future Past, 2021-22
Acrylic paint and inkjet print on fabric mounted to aluminum panel

Mural Models: Julia Relis, Kimberly O’Neal, Enrique Outeiral, Nathaniel Quaye, Yeimy Gamez Castillo and Mathyias “Laughing Wolf” Ellis
Studio: Diego Molina, Kelley Prevard, Andrece Brady, Jill Cohen-Nuñez, Carolina Acevedo, Jan Kathleen, Tyler Cala, Monet Sheard, Rebecca Gual
Photography: Chrystofer Davis, Leslie Cabrera, Melissa Garcia-Parra
Research: Noelle Lorraine Williams, Rafael Osorio
Consulting: Bridgett Cruz and Michael Hew Wing
Graphic Design: Manuel Sanchez

To create Approach, Karyn Olivier embarked on an extensive photographic survey of Newark and the surrounding region. She captured the extraordinary tapestry of New Jersey’s iconic skylines, robust infrastructure, and natural beauty. Slices of land and sky are suspended in two helix-like structures: one that depicts daytime and the other night. Each ring is double-sided, and presents two distinct views: when looking up, a bird’s eye view; and when looking down from above, a skyward view. This inversion echoes the temporary disorientation that travel often causes as we transit multiple time zones to arrive in different places with new perceptions. As passengers approach the sculptures, the rings begin to align concentrically, revealing a rich topographical mosaic. The artwork may even appear to move, compressing or expanding as our view shifts. The result is a dynamic study of both landscape and time, two elements that define our unique experience of place.

Special thanks to UAP Company, Torsilieri Inc., Peter Massini/Big City Aerials, and Cally Iden.

Karyn Olivier (b. 1968, Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago; lives and works in Philadelphia, PA)
Approach, 2022
Powder-coated aluminum and stainless steel

Extending our core mission to present dynamic exhibitions by the world’s most compelling artists and make culture accessible to all, Public Art Fund: Creative Partnerships brings strategic planning, curatorial, project management, and communications expertise to leading cultural institutions, corporations, and civic organizations across the globe. Through these collaborations, Public Art Fund commissions permanent installations and temporary exhibitions in line with the unique vision of our partners and the specific parameters of each site, resulting in new artworks that activate public spaces, create engaged constituencies, and amplify the impact of our partners’ own initiatives through the power of public art.