This September, the FDR Four Freedoms State Park on Roosevelt Island opens a new chapter with Art X Freedom, a commissioning program focused on contemporary artistic expression and social justice. The initiative debuts with a major new installation by Ai Weiwei, titled Camouflage, on view from September 10 through December 1, 2025.
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Conceived as an evolving site-specific work, Camouflage transforms the 3.5-acre park into a dynamic space for collective reflection. Ai Weiwei’s installation will feature an open sanctuary structure draped with camouflage netting, enveloping the memorial’s granite landscape and engaging directly with the park’s view across the East River toward the United Nations. Visitors will be invited to contribute their personal reflections on freedom by attaching ribbons to the netting, merging individual voices into the fabric of the piece.
Located at the southern tip of Roosevelt Island, FDR Four Freedoms State Park was designed by Louis Kahn to honor Franklin D. Roosevelt’s four essential freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. With Art X Freedom, the park builds on this legacy, reimagining it as a living platform for dialogue, activism, and artistic exploration. The initiative is co-chaired by Four Freedoms Park Conservancy board member Allison Binns and philanthropist Agnes Gund.
Howard Axel, CEO of Four Freedoms Park Conservancy, emphasized the importance of this next chapter, stating, “Artists have paved the way in activism and advocacy throughout history. Art X Freedom amplifies this work by inviting contemporary artists to re-envision FDR’s freedoms for future generations.” Agnes Gund echoed the urgency of the project, adding, “Public art is a mirror to our times. Art X Freedom speaks to the urgent need to protect freedom for all.”
The imagery in Camouflage speaks to the tensions between protection and vulnerability, truth and concealment. Traditional camouflage patterns are reinterpreted to incorporate animal figures, evoking Roosevelt Island’s history as a refuge for wildlife. Adorning the top of the structure, a Ukrainian proverb captures the dual nature of war: “For some people, war is war, for others, war is the dear mother.”
Following its launch with Ai Weiwei, Art X Freedom will commission new projects annually through an open call, offering artists an opportunity to engage with the park’s historic site. Future participants will be selected through a juried process involving a distinguished panel that includes curators, artists, and cultural leaders.
Through installations like Camouflage, Art X Freedom positions FDR Four Freedoms State Park as a participatory space for reflection on freedom’s evolving meaning in contemporary society. As Randy Simons, Commissioner Pro Tempore of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, notes, “Freedom and democracy demand our active engagement to thrive.”
For more info visit fdrfourfreedomspark.org.
