ABSTRACT
This chapter uses an encounter with the work of a Dutch artist to begin to explore historical themes enfolded within contemporary art practices. After a brief diversion into considerations of the ‘larger-than-life’ scale of public, monumental figures, the writer delves into the way this art has brought a long history of Manhattan into play with contemporary issues like the financial crash of 2008. The artist is seen to connect this to the modestly memorialised purchase of the island by European settlers from the indigenous people. The chapter finishes with consideration of the historical and political implications of the artist’s materials and processes.
