18th Street and 10th Avenue, High Line Billboard, New York, United States
September–November 2026
Christopher Williams creates photographs that mimic high-end commercial advertising, industrial cataloguing, and architectural photography, working with professional studios and technicians to produce a flawless, slick aesthetic. The artist then embeds subtle anomalies—a surface flaw or odd angle—into these seemingly perfect images to unsettle the viewer.
The High Line presents a billboard by Williams entitled MODEL (High Line Billboard, 18th Street and 10th Avenue, New York, 10011). The term “MODEL” not only denotes a fashion model or mockup, but also a system of instruction or control—as in “model city.” Based on an object from his enamel-on-glass series, Williams’s billboard appears industrial yet reveals a handmade brushstroke quality upon closer inspection. It also evokes the woodchip texture of Rauhfaser wallpaper, synonymous with twentieth-century European working-class interiors. Juxtaposed against the luxury towers surrounding the High Line, the billboard forces a direct confrontation with modern real estate speculators and developers, asking: Whose “model city” are we actually building?
Learn more at the High Line.