It’s time to play some ping-pong! But this isn’t your normal basement or park ping-pong. Grab your paddles and ball and head to Beach 67th Street. As if beach ping-pong wasn’t intriguing enough, a few more surprises await as this ping-pong setup doubles as an art exhibit. The Public Art Fund’s outdoor exhibition “Between Tides” is now open, ready to be seen, heard and played, through September 13.
Public Art Fund has brought together local and international contemporary artists—Moko Fukuyama, Ilana Harris-Babou, Las Hermanas Iglesias, Carlos H. Matos, Amalia Pica, and SUPERFLEX—to present newly commissioned sculptural ping-pong tables on Rockaway Beach.
The selected artists were tasked with reimagining ping-pong tables with an inventive twist. The table themes include a sea legend, an interspecies habitat, a composite musical instrument, maritime flags, a beach scene cast in ceramic, and an ancient Mesoamerican ballgame. And the best part about this art exhibit is it is interactive, and all are welcome to play. On the sand on Beach 67th Street, you’ll find the tables and a booth from where you can borrow paddles and a ball for free to play on the unique tables, on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., or bring your own to play any time.
“Between Tides” centers on community participation and builds on the layered history of table tennis. Originally a parlor game for the elite in Victorian England, it later became a global pastime, a tool for diplomacy between the United States and China, and eventually an Olympic sport. Due to its accessibility, the game cuts across class, race, age, and gender divisions.
“Between Tides” continues a tradition of artists who, since the 1970s, have explored ping-pong as a platform for creative exchange, rule-breaking, and challenging expectations. Moko Fukuyama’s “Old School” contains a salvaged boat from Rockaway’s Marina 59 and a ping-pong table gripped by a giant sea monster. Las Hermanas Iglesias’ “DiMeLo” brings a musical experience with percussion instruments and a glockenspiel embedded into the table, creating music as you play. Ilana Harris-Babou’s “for those of us who live at the shoreline” contains ceramic items embedded into the table like a book, sunglasses, a bottle and more.
Carlos H. Matos’ “Tlachco” is a scaled-down version of an Ulama court, a Mesoamerican ballgame. Amalia Pica’s “Fair Play” is the largest piece, consisting of eight tabletops displaying the International Code of Signals, a colorful system sailors use to communicate between ships and share information visually. Each module features a symbol from the language’s alphabet, together spelling out “FAIR PLAY.” Multiple games can take place at once on this massive piece. SUPERFLEX’s “Fish Ping-Pong” is a pink stone structure, inspired by housing blocks in Rockaway. The multiple holes in the tabletop can also support marine life.
“‘Between Tides’ embodies the transformative role of public art, rethinking a familiar game in ways that foster shared encounters and celebrate the joyful energy of summer. Each work in this exhibition reveals a fresh perspective on play—whether by emphasizing its collective nature, or promoting it as a means of social interaction,” noted Public Art Fund Associate Curator of Public Practice, Gabriela López Dena. “Set against the backdrop of Rockaway Beach, these sculptures reinforce connection and the vibrancy of communal spaces, while acknowledging the ecological and cultural forces that shape them.”
In addition to weekend play, Between Tides will feature some special organized events. The project commenced with an opening day celebration on June 27 and on August 22 at 5:30 p.m., there will be a Sand and Paddle Classic Ping-Pong Tournament. In partnership with local community organization RISE (Rockaway Initiative for Sustainability and Equity), groups of students will also connect with the exhibition through workshops and guided visits.
“People create their own forms of leisure on the beach. Some come to simply relax under an umbrella, while others play volleyball, dance, or body surf. The beach doesn’t dictate how you should spend your time; you and the people you’re with create your own rituals and experiences. I wanted to make something that could be used in multiple ways, inviting people to imagine new forms of play,” said artist Ilana Harris-Babou.
Public Art Fund’s first exhibition at the site, Between Tides follows ongoing community engagement at Rockaway Beach which began in summer 2024 with Queens-based collective Mobile Print Power and with RISE.
For more info, follow @publicartfund on Instagram.
Photos by Katie McFadden.
