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Giant Bottle of Ketchup Lands in City Hall Park for Art Exhibit

"Daddies Ketchup," an inflatable sculpture in City Hall Park.
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DNAinfo/Julie Shapiro

LOWER MANHATTAN — An enormous bottle of ketchup is looming over City Hall Park.

The 30-foot-tall inflatable sculpture by Paul McCarthy, which has drawn chuckles and curious looks from tourists and locals alike since it went up last week, is part of "Common Ground," the Public Art Fund's new exhibit in City Hall Park.

The show features the work of 10 well-known artists around the world, all grappling with themes of public space, government and society, spurred by the outdoor exhibit's location in the shadow of City Hall.

The piece that has attracted the most attention so far is McCarthy's supersized condiment bottle, called "Daddies Ketchup." McCarthy often uses mundane objects in his art, and in this case he offers a humorous twist on the larger-than-life statues of important people that usually fill public spaces, according to the Public Art Fund.

Other standout pieces in this year's show include artist Jenny Holzer's series of inscribed benches, which feature maxims like, "MONOMANIA IS A PREREQUISITE OF SUCCESS" and "HUMANISM IS OBSOLETE."

Several of the displays include performance art, from the aluminum bullhorn of Elmgreen & Dragset's "It's Never Too Late to Say Sorry," which a performer will take from its glass case and use once a day, to Roger Hiorns' supine choir, which will offer surprise concerts featuring singers lying on the ground in the park this summer.

"Common Ground" will run in City Hall Park, at Broadway and Park Row, through Nov. 30.