The New Museum in Manhattan unveiled its newly expanded premises for previews yesterday, following a four-year renovation that has doubled its exhibition capacity at a cost of $82 million. Perhaps it’s the anticipation built over the years or our enduring perception of this modern edifice in the Lower East Side that fuels our intense reactions to the museum’s latest iteration. Hyperallergic’s editorial team engaged in a forthright discussion about the successful aspects, the shortcomings, and the peculiar sense of detachment experienced after touring ‘New Humans: Memories of the Future,’ the museum’s debut exhibition. Dive into our roundtable discussion and preview the updated New Museum below.
Globally, the distressing images that constantly flood our phone screens mirror a harsh reality. Iran and Lebanon remain under siege, with bombs casting a pall over the cherished birthplace of diasporic artist Leila Seyedzadeh. She poignantly reflects, ‘As an immigrant, my thoughts perpetually drift back across oceans, revisiting the familiar skies over the Alborz Mountains, once my home.’ Her narrative today questions, ‘Am I the one missing from the mountains, or have they vanished from my life here?’
— Valentina Di Liscia, senior editor
Hyperallergic’s editorial team, including Hrag Vartanian, Hakim Bishara, Lakshmi Rivera Amin, Lisa Yin Zhang, and Valentina Di Liscia, engages in a sincere dialogue about the institution’s enlarged facilities and its inaugural showcase.
