NY Times Square Billboard Displays New Artwork with a Hidden Message—What Does It Mean?

Artist Patrick Amadon has his 'Passive Observer' artwork shown on a new New York Times Square digital billboard. As usual, what lies within the frames of his work has left many viewers curious, especially since it comes with a secret message.

At first glance, ART News reported that the piece shows glitchy visuals and footage of banal imagery. But if one looks really close, there is something a little more subtle than that. Between flashes of images, the Wikipedia page for "Gaza genocide" flashes up for a quick second.

Patrick Amadon's Artwork on Times Square Billboard

Amadon is no stranger to stirring up controversy, especially since he has been on an unbroken pattern of including political messages within his work.

One such digital canvas, displayed in Hong Kong some time back silently supported protests for democracy. BBC reported that the move got him banned from China and all of its territories.

With his new Times Square piece, the artist has moved forward with his pattern.

"Everyone's watching what is happening to the Palestinian civilians, watch the world unfolding, yet nobody does anything," Amadon told ARTnews through a statement.

Amadon's Gaza Artwork

The timing of the release of the artwork is important due to the ongoing conflicts in Gaza. This message behind the artwork has been interpreted to beckon people to take action and not remain passive observers of what happens around the globe.

By doing so, he has placed himself at the forefront of a growing movement of artists who use their work as bold statements to protest the Israel-Gaza war. The National News shared that there were 11 solidarity murals across Kenya, Spain, UK, US, with the same intent as Amadon's.

While several viewers have come forward to praise the subtlety of Amadon's artwork, there is a questioning part of the audience that thinks this statement should not be made in such a commercialized and public space as the New York Times Square.