Early-Career NYC Artists Display New Work At The Shed In Hudson Yards

Forbes

6 days ago

Twelve early-career, New York City-based artists and collectives have created new works for Open Call: Portals , a free group exhibition on display through August 24 in the Level 2 Gallery and on the outdoor Plaza of the Shed, in Hudson Yards.
Installation view, "Open Call, Portals," at the Shed in NYC's Hudson Yards Adam Reich
Open Call: Portals features new works ranging from painting and film to sculpture and performance by Zain Alam, AYDO, Mel Corchado, Marwa Eltahir, Patricia Encarnación, Laurena Finéus, Lily Honglei, Tyson Houseman, Jarrett Key, Chelsea Odufu, Victor 'Marka27' Quiñonez, and Yelaine Rodriguez and Luis Vasquez La Roche. According to the Shed, each artist is 'exploring forces shaping our world, including colonialism, migration, and environmental crisis.
'Beyond the theme of this exhibition, we're thinking about portals as invitations,' said Darren Biggart, Director of Civic Programs. 'We hope that audiences find many entry points to engage with new ideas and connect with new communities. These 12 multivalent works provide diverse and unique openings to examine complex ideas and envision a better future.'
'These works by artists living and, or working in New York City remind us that identity, memory, and belonging are shaped not in isolation but in the unpredictable interstices of history and the present,' said Dejá Belardo, Assistant Curator of Visual Arts and Civic Programs. 'In doing so, the exhibition Open Call: Portals subverts the typical understanding of its title. Instead of spaces meant solely for moving from one point to another, portals in this exhibition open a third space where we might linger, inhabiting the forgotten and the imagined.'
The exhibition also includes public programs, conversations and performances with the artists and their collaborators. Tickets are free to all Open Call events with a reservation at theshed.org/portals.
The Shed said Open Call embodies its 'core mission to champion innovative art and ideas across all disciplines; it provides crucial support to these emerging voices, offering each artist a commissioning fee of up to $15,000, tailored to the scope of their project. In addition to financial support, The Shed provides comprehensive production support and resources, empowering artists to fully realize their creative visions.'
Launched as part of The Shed's inaugural-year program, Open Call is a large-scale commissioning program. Since its inception, Open Call—now in its fourth iteration— has produced new work by over 100 artists and collectives, many of whom have gone on to be recognized by the Whitney Biennial, the Bronx Museum's AIM Biennial, the Lucille Lortel Awards, the Bessies, MacDowell, United States Artists, Disability Futures Fellows, Creative Capital, the Jerome Foundation, the Joan Mitchell Foundation, and more. Each artist received commissioning fees, production support, and experience working with a large cultural institution and navigating the commissioning process.
Open Call: Portals features new works ranging from painting and film to sculpture and performance by Zain Alam, AYDO, Mel Corchado, Marwa Eltahir, Patricia Encarnación, Laurena Finéus, Lily Honglei, Tyson Houseman, Jarrett Key, Chelsea Odufu, Victor 'Marka27' Quiñonez, and Yelaine Rodriguez and Luis Vasquez La Roche. According to the Shed, each artist is 'exploring forces shaping our world, including colonialism, migration, and environmental crisis.
'Beyond the theme of this exhibition, we're thinking about portals as invitations,' said Darren Biggart, Director of Civic Programs. 'We hope that audiences find many entry points to engage with new ideas and connect with new communities. These 12 multivalent works provide diverse and unique openings to examine complex ideas and envision a better future.'
'These works by artists living and, or working in New York City remind us that identity, memory, and belonging are shaped not in isolation but in the unpredictable interstices of history and the present,' said Dejá Belardo, Assistant Curator of Visual Arts and Civic Programs. 'In doing so, the exhibition Open Call: Portals subverts the typical understanding of its title. Instead of spaces meant solely for moving from one point to another, portals in this exhibition open a third space where we might linger, inhabiting the forgotten and the imagined.'
The exhibition also includes public programs, conversations and performances with the artists and their collaborators. Tickets are free to all Open Call events with a reservation at theshed.org/portals.
The Shed said Open Call embodies its 'core mission to champion innovative art and ideas across all disciplines; it provides crucial support to these emerging voices, offering each artist a commissioning fee of up to $15,000, tailored to the scope of their project. In addition to financial support, The Shed provides comprehensive production support and resources, empowering artists to fully realize their creative visions.'
Launched as part of The Shed's inaugural-year program, Open Call is a large-scale commissioning program. Since its inception, Open Call—now in its fourth iteration— has produced new work by over 100 artists and collectives, many of whom have gone on to be recognized by the Whitney Biennial, the Bronx Museum's AIM Biennial, the Lucille Lortel Awards, the Bessies, MacDowell, United States Artists, Disability Futures Fellows, Creative Capital, the Jerome Foundation, the Joan Mitchell Foundation, and more. Each artist received commissioning fees, production support, and experience working with a large cultural institution and navigating the commissioning process.