Greater New York

"Greater New York" at MoMA PS1 surveys the work of artists currently living and working in the area.  Like the Whitney Biennial, it can be hit or miss.

An installation called "Touch The Heart" assembled by Red Canary Song, a Queens-based organization that advocates on behalf of a group marginalized by both their ethnicity and profession, made the strongest impression by far. In 2021, a mass shooter murdered eight people of Chinese and Korean descent at an Atlanta spa and massage parlor where he had paid for sex. Using a pseudonym, Ellen honored the female victims by reproducing their visages on cutting boards.  Flowers over their mouths conferred public anonymity at the same time it symbolized both beauty and powerlessness.

Ellen also framed her portraits in gold glitter.  

"8Lives" (2022)

Another unique work uses Chinese food as a metaphor to explore quality of life issues among massage parlor sex workers.

"Dim Sum Constellations" by Yin Q and Chong Gu (2026)

I won't ever forget the braised chicken feet the first time I ate dim sum.  These even more inedible tools of the pleasure trade are almost as memorable.

Table Ill: Body Care, Desire, & Labor

Yin Q, one of the artists, co-directs Red Canary Song, 

Despite their name, the Women's History Museum art collective reverts to what I might call "damaged window dressing."

"Chez les heureux du monde" (2026)

But its visual impact is undeniable.

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"Problem 1" and "Problem 2," video sculptures by Marc Kokopeli, spoof America's history of financial booms and busts using the premise that it's Tax Day in South Park.  In "Problem 2" Cartman, surrounded by piggy banks, uses an actual spiel recorded by a CPA for You Tube.  Kokopeli calls his Instagram account "King of Venmo."

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This shiny, hollow sculpture by Kristin Walsh comments on the prohibition against melting pennies down to extract the copper used in their production, just 2.5% (the rest is zinc) since 1982.  

When the United States Mint ended their production last year, the copper content of penny was still worth one or two cents more than its circulating value.

"Indicator no. 9" (2026)

I thought of John Ahearn and Rigoberto Torres as soon as I saw these sculptures by Piero Penizzotto.  In fact, Ahearn mentored Penizzotto although the latter prefers capturing "fragile moments of togetherness" to plaster casting.

"The Council of las Tías (Mary, Milagros, Cynthia, Nereyda)" (2026)

Context is everything.  Posters like these--hand painted by the Cevallos brothers, now in their 80s-- have been advertising events and establishments along Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights for decades.

Now they're adhered to a museum wall celebrating Latino community and culture in New York City. 

Taína Cruz drew on the walls of the Whitney, too.

"If and when they come shell be ready" (2026)

Her paintings evoke modern urban fairy tales.

"Charm Written in Steam and Light"  (2025)

"Uptown Twilight Sauté" (2025)

Even at this distance, I could recognize the work of another Biennial artist, he of the manifestoes.

"Chart of Darkness" by Akira Ikezoe (2025)

Kenneth Tam recruited taxi drivers who had overpaid for their medallions to participate in "I'M STAYING HOPEFUL AND STRONG (For Bilal and Salah)."  The video emphasizes their resilience in the face of predatory lenders and the disruptive rise of ride share services. 

Not yet 30, photographer Dean Majd, raised in Queens, is having a moment facilitated, in part, by Israel's genocidal response to October 7. His work has appeared on the cover of New York magazine (Habibi City, Swana Edition) and he shot Mayor Zohran Mamdani for Vogue.  His photos documening Palestinian life among his relatives in the West Bank and his cultural and political peers in New York cover two walls.

Masculinity has always been one of his central themes.  One could argue that performative masculinity is at the root of many societal problems.

"Birthmark" (2024)

Timely paintings by Esteban Jefferson share the same space with a more explicitly political orientation, although the the vibe of this monumental-like work is ambiguous:  are these immigrants pledging, beseeching or celebrating?

"The Immigrants" (2026)

Farah Al Qasimi, who earned her M.F.A. from Yale, mostly explores personal spaces in both domestic and international Arab culture through photography, video and performance.  I'm guessing she's commenting on oil wealth in this glossy image of Gulf States home decor.

"Snake on a Horse (UAE)" (2025)

Folk artist Dean Millien uses aluminum foil to depict animals more commonly found in Bushwick households.  Developmentally disabled, he didn't attend an Ivy League school and barely earns a living wage from the sale of his art.  

"The Cats and the Rats" (2026)

Hopefully, his belated embrace by MoMA PS1--now in his 50s, he's been creating since the age of three-- can finally help change that.

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His sculptures may not be beyond the financial reach of the 49 million Americans who keep cats as pets.

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