Greater New York, MoMA PS1's quinquennial exhibit showcasing work from artists in and around New York City, opens tomorrow, giving visitors a chance to savor hundreds of pieces from 157 artists as the art world continues to shift.
The 2015 collection of works reflects how real estate is affecting the NYC art scene. From the press release:
Greater New York arrives in a city and art community that has changed significantly since the first version of the survey. With the rise of a robust commercial art market and the proliferation of art fairs, opportunities for younger artists in the city have grown alongside a burgeoning interest in artists who may have been overlooked in the art histories of their time. Concurrently, the city itself is being reshaped by a voracious real estate market that poses particular challenges to local artists. The speed of this change in recent years has stoked a nostalgia for earlier periods in New York—notably the 1970s and 1980s, and the experimental practices and attitudes that flourished in the city during those decades. Against this backdrop, Greater New York departs from the show’s traditional focus on youth, instead examining points of connection and tension between our desire for the new and nostalgia for that which it displaces.
Peter Eleey, who led the curatorial team, told Bloomberg, "A huge amount of work is made in New York, and while a lot leaves it, a lot stays. So while other museums would have to truck things from around the country, we have an enormous wealth of art and artworks to draw from right here."
This go-around, there are works from young artists as well as established ones. The show will be free for a year to all New York City residents, thanks to a grant from the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation.
"Greater New York" will be shown from October 11 through March 7, 2016 at MoMA PS1, located at 22-25 Jackson Ave. at the intersection of 46th Ave., in Long Island City.
