{"id":377297,"date":"2026-10-19T22:04:33","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T22:04:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/377297\/"},"modified":"2026-10-19T22:04:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T22:04:33","slug":"tribeca-citizen-catching-up-with-new-kids-balloon-museum-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/377297\/","title":{"rendered":"Tribeca Citizen | Catching Up with New Kids: Balloon Museum"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Just in case you missed it, the Tin Building \u2014 Jean-Georges Vongerichten\u2019s reconstruction of the historic building at the Seaport that was dedicated to fine dining and fine grocery shopping \u2014 is no more. It closed in February<\/a> after four years. In the shell of its former structure is Balloon Museum<\/a>, a inflatable interactive art exhibit out of Italy, which opened in August.<\/a><\/p>\n

I introduce it this way since it is really a shock to walk through the lightless catacombs of the new space and think how everything there \u2014 the fish mobile at the beer bar, the elaborate candy store shelves, the lacquer bar at the Chinese restaurant \u2014 is just gone gone gone. Even the railings in the stairwells are now painted over.<\/p>\n

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Yes, I know, the new tenant had no use for any of it. But I am just saying, even if you also had no use for the Tin Building, you had to appreciate its interior design and the investment made to make it beautiful.<\/p>\n

So, back to the Balloon Museum. This is the first permanent location (they have a five-year lease) for the concept launched in Italy in 2021 as an experimental showcase by a group called Lux Entertainment<\/a>. The space here \u2014 53,000 square feet \u2014 has monumental site-specific works as well as inflatable commissions developed with renowned artists that will change out over time. I am only sampling a few of the rooms here \u2014 there are more than a dozen in total.<\/p>\n

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The opening show is titled \u201cDAYDREAM \u2013 Air Becomes Art,\u201d and is anchored with a piece by performance artist Marina Abramovi\u0107 called \u201cSnowy\/Windy\/Spring on Planet Z.\u201d Visitors move through a blindingly bright room with a snaking path through a field of shoulder-high plastic inflatable grass and pieces of tissue paper intended as snow \u2014 it\u2019s described as a \u201cwintery extraterrestrial meadow.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is a room crammed with balloons that are three feet in diameter that you can push \u2014 or bounce \u2014 your way through. There\u2019s a glowing, ethereal carousel. There\u2019s a room where a giant balloon slowly marks the wall with graphite. There\u2019s a giant bouncy castle room that my 24-year-old son loved, but that I quickly jogged on tiptoes across so I didn\u2019t accidentally moon-landing-style plop onto the couples making out in the middle.<\/p>\n

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We were there for an opening night party, so the final room was set up like a night club. Kind of cool and fun, actually. But the very cute owner of Green Klub<\/a>, the cannabis store right across the street, said he\u2019s only seen a steady line of strollers coming into Balloon Museum since it opened. That\u2019s a pricey outing for kids ($49 at peak hours; $59 for the adult)\u00a0 but it does make sense. The shorter you are, the more effective these installations will be on the senses.<\/p>\n

Balloon Museum<\/a>
96 South Street at Pier 17
newyork@balloonmuseum.world
Monday to Thursday, 10a to 7p
Friday, 10a to 8p
Saturday, 9a to 8p
Sunday, 9a to 7p<\/p>\n

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