There’s a new reason to head to the Boston waterfront: the Institute of Contemporary Art’s Sandra and Gerald Fineberg Art Wall is glowing with Man-made Land, a spectacular site-responsive installation by Caroline Monnet, on view now through March 21, 2027.
Monnet, an Algonquin-Anishinaabe and French artist born in Ottawa, created the work especially for the ICA’s harbor-side home. Gazing out toward the water she reflects on a surprising fact: much of Boston’s shoreline — including the very ground the ICA stands on — is human-made, shaped by 400 years of land reclamation.
That story blooms across the wall in expanding, fractal-like shapes. Working with humble commercial building materials — Tyvek, plastic, and foil insulation — Monnet transforms them through painstaking handwork: cutting, piecing, and sewing layer upon layer into bold geometric circles and lines. The patterns draw from Anishinaabeg designs found on regalia, birch bark baskets, and beadwork, weaving Indigenous heritage into the fabric of a man-made city.
The artist calls it a meditation “on the interconnectedness of all living things” — a perfect companion to An Indigenous Present, the ICA’s major thematic exhibition celebrating 100 years of contemporary Indigenous art, showing alongside the installation.
Best of all? This is art you don’t need a plane ticket to Switzerland for — it’s right here on Boston’s waterfront, free with museum admission. Bring your camera, bring a friend, and see Boston’s harbor history like never before.
Photo: Mel Taing / ICA Boston
