NEW YORK, NY.- Renowned conceptual artist Steve Tobin has put down roots in the Garment District with his series of dramatic, monumental sculptures, New York Roots, as part of the Garment District Alliance’s latest public art exhibit.

Located on the Broadway plazas in the Garment District between 39th and 40th Streets and 40th and 41st Streets, New York Roots is a towering series of seven steel sculptures that invite viewers to reflect on relationships, families, and communities coming together for a shared purpose—just as roots intertwine to strengthen a tree.

“New York Roots is a captivating addition to the Garment District that transforms our public plazas into spaces for reflection and serves as an important reminder to stay rooted in our communities,” said Barbara A. Blair, president of the Garment District Alliance. “By framing the city through sweeping curves, Steve’s impressive sculptures invite passersby to engage with their surroundings in a new way, offering a moment of sanctuary while celebrating the energy that pulses through the streets we call home.”

The sculptures – which are free for viewing and will be accessible to the public through February 2026 – are part of Garment District Art on the Plazas, a year-round public art program made possible through Arterventions, an initiative of the New York City Department of Transportation’s Art Program (NYC DOT Art). The Garment District Alliance and NYC DOT work closely to coordinate and install exhibits and individual pieces to enhance public plazas and make them even more welcoming to New Yorkers.

New York Roots embodies both the unseen strength of roots and the dynamic energy of human connection, evoking the sweeping motion of Japanese calligraphy and the fluidity of dance and embrace. These towering structures—with the tallest reaching 22 feet—not only create striking landscapes through their sheer height but also through their flowing, intertwined shapes and the negative spaces they create. As viewers move around and beneath the sculptures, the forms shift and evolve, revealing ever-changing perspectives of the sky and cityscape. More than sculptures, New York Roots serves as an organic guardian of its surroundings, inviting reflection, gathering, and a sense of unity within the space it transforms.

Celebrated for his expansive sculptures, Steve Tobin seamlessly intertwines nature and industry using materials like bronze, steel, stone, glass, and ceramics. Since the 1980s, he has been at the forefront of fostering existential transformation and environmental awareness. With a background in theoretical mathematics and physics, his work is deeply influenced and guided by scientific principles and his time teaching in Japan. Among his many notable installations, in New York City, Tobin is known for Trinity Root, a large-scale work donated to the Trinity Church in lower Manhattan as memorial to the 9/11 attacks. Tobin’s works are featured in museums and public collections around the world, including The White House Permanent Art Collection in Washington, D.C.; the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Lausanne, Switzerland; the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; the Frost Art Museum in Miami, Florida; the Osaka Foundation in Japan; the Jing’An Sculpture Project (JISP) in Shanghai, China; the Museum of Art and Design (MAD) in New York City; and more.

"Thanks to the Garment District Alliance, New Yorkers and visitors to our vibrant city will have the chance to interact with Steve Tobin’s towering, modernist sculptures in a way they can’t in the gallery," said Sundaram Tagore, founder of the Sundaram Tagore Gallery. "I hope as they wander around, under and through these sinuous root forms, they discover the awe and delight art can awaken."

Previous Garment District Alliance installations since 2010 on Broadway include Shaved Portions by Chakaia Booker, a 35-foot-tall abstract sculpture comprised of deconstructed rubber tires (2024); Cracked Ice by Del Geist, a series of stone and stainless steel structures (2023); Living Lantern by NEON, an oversized illuminated lantern symbolizing hope (2023); Rebirth by Kang Muxiang, an installation of embryonic creatures made from reclaimed elevator cables, (2018); Fancy Animal Carnival by Hung Yi, a series of colorful and whimsical animal statues (2016); and Five Elements by Xin Song, glass enclosed collages made using traditional Chinese paper-cutting techniques (2013).