Artist Aman Mojadidi’s new work titled “Once Upon a Place” is a large installation in New York’s Times Square. Mojadidi placed three telephone booths in the World’s Crossroads where pedestrians can go inside and listen to immigrants describe their experiences coming to the United States. Some of the stories are in English, but many are in other languages.
Mojadidi, who was born to Afghan immigrant parents, collected seventy stories from throughout the five boroughs of New York City. He told ArtNews that many of the people who told their stories were afraid to do so because of the increasingly repressive climate in the United States for immigrants.
The art installation has become a rallying point for supporters of immigrant rights and a symbol of the diversity of New York.
The work runs through September 5 and it is free.
