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Read the press release here.

Goat Statues Fill Socrates Sculpture Park for New Summer Exhibit

By Jeanmarie Evelly | April 28, 2017 11:44am | Updated on April 30, 2017 4:55pm
"Nari Ward: G.O.A.T., again" will open this Saturday at Socrates Sculpture Park.
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DNAinfo/Jeanmarie Evelly

ASTORIA — Prospect Park isn't the only green space getting goats this summer.

Nearly 20 goat statues are being placed throughout Socrates Sculpture Park for an exhibit opening this weekend by artist Nari Ward — the first single-artist show the waterfront site has ever displayed, according to a press release.

"Nari Ward: G.O.A.T., again" will be on view starting Saturday, and consists of six commissioned pieces created by Ward, including a flock of 19 goat statues cast from lawn ornaments and set across the 5-acre park.

The title of the exhibit refers to the acronym for "Greatest of All Time," a nod to boxing legend Mohammad Ali and L.L. Cool J's 2000 album. It also "alludes to the African-American experience and political theater," according to organizers.

"The figure of the goat features prominently in Ward’s articulation of social dynamics, conjuring the animal’s attributes and symbolic connotations, from an ambitious climber of great heights to an outcast," a press release from the park reads.

Nari Ward "Nari Ward: G.O.A.T., again" is the first single-artist show the park has ever displayed. (Credit: Socrates Sculpture Park)

Other works in the exhibit will include a hanging sign with the word "Apollo" spelled out in LED-lit letters, designed to look like the marquee of the Apollo Theater in Harlem, as well as a large bell structure shaped like a billy goat's genitals, according to the park.

The exhibit will be on display through Sept. 4.