MoMA PS1 just opened “Greater New York 2026,” its sprawling, building-wide exhibition that doubles as a snapshot of what artists across the city are actually making right now. The show officially opens today, April 16, and runs through August 17, featuring 53 artists and collectives working across pretty much every medium you can think of.
This isn’t the type of show you can power through in 45 minutes, though. It takes over the entire museum with more than 150 works, including large-scale installations, new commissions, performances and pieces that, in many cases, have never been shown publicly before. There’s painting next to animation next to scenography next to something you’re not entirely sure how to categorize and that’s entirely the point.
Photograph: GrayscMarc Kokopeli. “Times Square Alliance Playset.” 2025. LCD cabinet, LED Screen, resin, fabric, mixed media; video, sound (9:15 min). 93 x 154 x 80 cm Courtesy the artist and Galerie Isabella Bortolozzi, Berlin.
“Greater New York” is a quinquennial (every five years) survey and this year’s edition carries a little extra weight, as it also coincides with PS1’s 50th anniversary. Additionally, for the first time ever, it’s organized by the institution’s full curatorial team rather than a smaller group. The result is a wider, messier and more representative cross-section of the city’s creative output at the moment.
Artists included in the show range from emerging names to more established figures, with a noticeable emphasis on early- and mid-career voices. Many have direct ties to Queens and the surrounding area, connecting the show to neighborhoods just outside the museum’s doors.
As for what it’s all about: don’t expect a single theme spelled out on a wall label. Instead, the exhibition loosely tracks the pressures shaping life in New York today—everything from surveillance and rapidly evolving tech to infrastructure strain and collective resistance.
Photograph: Luis CorzoTaína Cruz. “Charm Written in Steam and Light.” 2025. Oil on canvas. 48 × 60 in. Courtesy the artist and Embajada, San Juan.
“’Greater New York’ explores the infrastructures that govern and pressurize life in the region,” said chief curator and director of curatorial affairs Ruba Katrib. “Across media, artists in New York are addressing urgent concerns with varied approaches and aesthetics, from polish to ruination, claustrophobia to collective action and community.”
There’s also a full slate of live programming. A performance series runs through May and June, featuring eight artists debuting new works, plus artist talks throughout the run. And if you like your art with a side of block party energy, PS1 is throwing a free 50th anniversary celebration on Saturday, April 18, complete with music, food vendors and gallery access.
The best part? Admission is free, which makes this one of the most ambitious—and accessible—art shows in the city right now.