This fall, Times Square Arts will unveil Magic Grasshopper, a monumental new public artwork by Chicago-based artist Yvette Mayorga. Measuring 30 feet in length, the bright pink kinetic sculpture will debut on October 15th and remain on view through December 2nd, 2025, in New York’s Times Square.
The installation marks Mayorga’s largest work to date and draws on her signature maximalist aesthetic, based on the concept of “Latinxoco,” a term she coined to describe the intersection of Latinx identity and Rococo style. Rendered in thick faux-frosting made from acrylic paint applied through bakers’ piping bags, Magic Grasshopper takes the form of a vessel or carnival float and evokes themes of migration, colonial legacies, and feminized labor. “Magic Grasshopper is a metaphor, a vehicle, an archive, a monument,” Mayorga said in a statement. “It’s excessive and grand, but also incisive and delicate.”
Densely layered with references, the carriage will be adorned with carousel horses wearing Hello Kitty backpacks, and filled with stacked suitcases. Around the sides of the float, the artist will depict narrative scenes of migration that reinterpret European art historical painting traditions. According to Times Square Arts director Jean Cooney, the piece “embodies Mayorga’s distinct alchemy of playfulness, possibility, and cultural critique.”
The title refers to the English translation of Chapultepec—a Nahuatl word meaning “hill of the grasshopper”—also a site of historical significance in Mexico City. The artist connects the work to the royal carriage of the Second Mexican Empire, a monarchy established in Mexico between 1864 and 1867. That vehicle was itself based on a French imperial model. In this way, the work will reflect the intertwined histories of European colonization and Latin American sovereignty.
Magic Grasshopper will be accessible to the public 24/7 in Times Square. Mayorga will also collaborate with ART FOR CHANGE on a limited-edition artwork tied to the project, with a portion of proceeds benefiting a nonprofit.
