Public art installation by Shikeith, a weathering steel and neon ship's hull that glows haint blue, marking his first public art commission.
Shikeith brings a new public installation to Arts Landing on Wednesday, April 29, and it stays through Wednesday, June 30. The piece is called Hold, and it's the first public art commission for the visual artist and filmmaker. It's cast in the shape of a ship's hull, made from weathering steel and neon, and it glows haint blue — a color rooted in Gullah Geechee traditions of protection. The light pulses like breath, and the steel exterior deepens and shifts with the weather over time, so it's the kind of work that changes depending on when you stop by.
Hold is part of Project Blue Space, Shikeith's broader initiative exploring the spiritual, cultural, and political relationships Black communities have forged with water. The installation was commissioned by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and funded by the Mellon Foundation's Humanities in Place initiative. Shikeith is 37 and grew up in North Philadelphia; he dropped his surname, Cathey, early in his career around the 2014 work #Blackmendream, and he's lived in Pittsburgh since 2018.
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You can find it at Arts Landing, 803 Penn Ave, in the Cultural District. It's open daily from 7 AM to 10 AM, and it's free to see.
