An Interview with ZAK OVÉ

We spoke with artist Zak Ové about The Mothership, his new installation in 14th Street Square. Drawing on Afrofuturist ideas of flight, return, and reinvention, Ové describes the work as both ancestral and futuristic — a vessel for collective memory and new possibility.

What is the story or mythology behind The Mothership?
The Mothership draws on Afrofuturist ideas of flight, travel, and return. It references the idea of a vessel that carries people beyond the boundaries of history, geography, and oppression into a new imaginative space. It is both ancestral and futuristic — a place of gathering, belonging, and possibility.

How does this installation build on the themes of your previous work?
Much of my practice has been about re-staging histories of the African diaspora and reimagining them through contemporary forms. The Mothership builds on that journey: like my earlier works, it draws on mythology, ritual, and collective memory, but places them in a futuristic frame, asking how we carry cultural heritage forward while also imagining new worlds.

What materials and techniques did you choose for The Mothership, and why?
The work is fabricated in stainless steel, with moulded acrylic masks and a transparent fibreglass head. Materials that are durable, reflective, and light-responsive. The engineering allows the sculpture to feel weightless, as if hovering, while remaining structurally grounded. I chose these to create a sense of both permanence and flight — something that feels otherworldly yet rooted in the here and now.

How does the Meatpacking District setting shape the meaning of the piece?
The Meatpacking District is layered with histories of migration, labour, creativity, and nightlife. Placing The Mothership here connects it to those histories of movement and transformation. It becomes a beacon in a neighbourhood known for its reinvention — calling people to pause, gather, and reflect on what it means to belong in a rapidly changing city.

What role do you hope this work plays in sparking conversations around community, identity, and belonging?
I hope The Mothership becomes a meeting point, a symbolic place of assembly. The themes it carries — migration, resilience, collective identity — are universal, but they resonate deeply in a city like New York, where so many cultures converge. My wish is for people to see themselves reflected in it, and to think about how art can create shared ground across difference.

What emotions or experiences do you want visitors to take away from The Mothership?
A sense of wonder, first and foremost. I want people to feel uplifted, to see it as a beacon of hope and possibility. But I also hope it prompts deeper reflection — on ancestry, on migration, on the futures we imagine for ourselves and our communities.

How do you see your art engaging with the public differently in a neighborhood like Meatpacking, compared to a gallery or museum?
In a gallery or museum, people come to art with a certain expectation, in a frame of quiet contemplation. On the street, art has to meet people where they are — on their way to work, out with friends, or simply passing by. That makes the engagement more immediate, more democratic. I like that it can surprise someone who wasn’t looking for art, and still give them something memorable to carry away.

You’ve spent a good amount of time in Meatpacking. What have been some of your favorite spots in the neighborhood?
I’ve enjoyed wandering the cobblestone streets, the High Line, and the way old warehouses mix with new architecture. Places like the Whitney, Little Island, and the small cafés and restaurants tucked into side streets give the area its energy. But mostly, I like the spirit of the neighbourhood — it feels alive, layered, and always evolving.

What’s next for you after this installation?
I’m working on several projects, including museum shows and public commissions that continue to explore themes of diaspora, myth, and Afrofuturism. The Mothership is part of a wider conversation in my work, and I’m excited to see how it connects to audiences in other contexts as it travels.