This week, MoMA PS1 announced that they will be offering free entry to the museum for an entire year to New York residents, thanks to a gift from the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation. This comes just in time for the fourth iteration of Greater New York, a show dedicated to showcasing emerging New York artists…sort of.
Beginning in 2000, the series was born out of a desire to provide exposure to the city’s youthful creatives. However, as the market has shifted towards highlighting emerging artists in galleries and fairs, the premise of Greater New York has also evolved.
This year’s show intends to focus on “points of connection and tension between our desire for the new and nostalgia for that which it displaces.” Essentially this means they are playing off of our culturally collective desire for nostalgia by throwing in a little bit of the old with a little bit of the new. And by little bit, I mean a ton – the exhibit will feature 157 artists and over 400 artworks…a substantial amount of material, even for a museum survey.
The artists, both alive and deceased, either worked or lived in the New York area and created works dating back to 1976 (the year PS1 was founded). The list includes established artists like Richard Artschwager, Chantal Akerman, and Rosalind Solomon to emerging artists like Ajay Kurian and Sara Cywnar.
No word yet on how the curatorial team managed to create a cohesive installation with such a wide range of artists and artworks, but I’m sure the criticism will come flooding in any minute now…
Greater New York opens this Sunday at MoMA PS1 in Long Island City. To qualify for free entry, New Yorkers must show proof of residency, like a driver’s license, utility bill, or iD NYC.
Like this article? Check out our review of Jim Shaw’s recent opening at New Museum, or other gallery highlights!
