Between Tides brings together six artists—Moko Fukuyama, Ilana Harris-Babou, Las Hermanas Iglesias, Carlos H. Matos, Amalia Pica, and the collective SUPERFLEX—to rethink ping-pong tables as playable sculptures. These works invite beachgoers to approach the game in unexpected ways, transforming a familiar activity into a space for experimentation and new connections. Responding to the diverse cultural and ecological landscape of Rockaway Beach, the artists draw from sculpture, myth, and public engagement to expand the game’s symbolic and social dimensions.

Centered on community participation, Between Tides builds on the layered history of table tennis and offers fresh perspectives on play. Originally a parlor game for the elite in Victorian England, ping-pong later became a global pastime, a tool for diplomacy between the United States and China, and eventually an Olympic sport. The game’s simplicity allows it to transcend class, race, age, and gender, bringing people together across differences. Between Tides continues a tradition of artists who, since the 1970s, have embraced ping-pong as a platform for creative exchange, rule-breaking, and challenging expectations. Fostering shared encounters, this exhibition highlights how artists can enrich daily life in imaginative ways.

Between Tides is curated by Public Art Fund Associate Curator of Public Practice Gabriela López Dena.