An overturned rowboat on the beach is surrounded by large, sculpted purple tentacles appearing to rise from the sand, with the ocean in the background.
Moko Fukuyama’s Old School, formed of a salvaged aluminum boat, reclaimed walnut, plywood, and automotive paint.

July 31, 2026

Words: Annie Block

Photography: Timothy Schenck/Courtesy of Public Art Fund, NY.

Ping-Pong Tables Becomes A Platform For Art And Connection At Rockaway Beach

They say write what you know. But in the case of Gabriela López Dena, Public Art Fund’s associate curator of public practice, she’s masterminded an exhibition based on what she plays: Working as an architect in Mexico City, before moving to New York, there was a ping-pong table in the office, which she found was a better way to get to know clients and colleagues than a formal meeting. And from that “Between Tides,” a summer installation of six custom tables on Rockaway Beach, was born.

With nationalities spanning Japanese, Danish, and Latin American, the commissioned artists—Moko Fukuyama, Ilana Harris-Babou, Las Hermanas Iglesias, Carlos H. Matos, Amalia Pica, and Superflex—reflect the diverse demographics of Queens, and support the exhibit’s themes of community and accessibility. “The barrier to entry with ping-pong is low,” López Dena says, “its simplicity allows it to transcend class, race, age, and gender, bringing people together.” One table even allows players to make music together: Norwegian-Dominican collective Las Hermanas Iglesias’s surface is half glockenspiel and half tom-toms and cymbals.

Explore The Ping-Pong Table Installations 

  • A table tennis table with paddles and net is placed on a sandy beach near the ocean, featuring unusual sculptural elements on its legs and sides.
    The six tables in “Between Tides,” through September 13 on Beach 67 at Rockaway Beach in Queens, New York, Public Art Fund’s first exhibition at this site, are Carlos H. Matos’s Tlachco in aluminum, volcanic stone, and powder-coated steel.
  • Aerial view of two pink rectangular slabs with round holes, placed side by side on sand, casting a shadow behind them.
    Fish Ping-Pong in hand-cut Cantera stone by Superflex.
  • A group of people play table tennis on a beach around a large multi-sided table, with colorful flags strung above and the ocean in the background.
    Amalia Pica’s Fair Play, in fiberglass, powder-coated steel, and cotton-canvas flags.
  • An overturned rowboat on the beach is surrounded by large, sculpted purple tentacles appearing to rise from the sand, with the ocean in the background.
    Moko Fukuyama’s Old School, formed of a salvaged aluminum boat, reclaimed walnut, plywood, and automotive paint.
  • Two people play table tennis on a sandy beach with food scattered on the table, ocean and boats in the background, and flags displayed on poles nearby.
    Ilana Harris-Babou’s for those of us who live at the shoreline, in terrazzo, concrete, handmade ceramic tiles, and powder-coated steel.
  • Overhead view of a metallic outdoor musical instrument panel with percussion disks, cymbals, and mallets, installed on sandy ground.
    DiMeLo, in stainless steel and ready-made musical instruments, by Las Hermanas Iglesias.

Rockaway Peninsula is home to multiple ecosystems and wildlife species, so some artists were chosen based on sustainability. Fukuyama’s octopuslike contribution, for instance, which reimagines the table as Japanese sea deity Akkorokamui, incorporates a salvaged boat and reclaimed walnut, while Superflex’s stone sculpture would support marine life if it were submerged: Multiple openings create spaces where plankton and algae can thrive, and its color, pink, has been shown to promote coral growth.

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