A short list of the can’t-miss new exhibition openings (and closings) this week, by city. See last week’s list for other recent openings, and for a more comprehensive guide, see our Itinerary.
NEW YORK
“Zero Waste Design Guidelines”
Center for Architecture
536 LaGuardia Place
CLOSES: September 1
Developed in 2016 with over 100 multidisciplinary collaborators, the Center’s Zero Waste Design Guidelines set out design strategies to revolutionize New York’s waste system. Expanding on that initiative, this exhibition, curated by journalist Andrew Blum, examines the life cycle of trash to uncover further opportunities and challenges in the city’s aim to produce zero waste by 2030. A full-day symposium and evening panels accompany the presentation.
Thomas Bayrle “Playtime”
New Museum
235 Bowery
CLOSES: September 2
This large-scale celebration of the German pop artist’s oeuvre arrays more than 115 of his works from the 1960s to today, including his signature kinetic paintings, serial patterned textiles, and early computer-based experiments. Together, these visual investigations into technology, consumerism, and propaganda shed light on his astonishing critical prescience. Also closing on the same day is John Akomfrah’s “Signs of Empire,” the first survey of the Accra-born British artist to be held in America. The exhibition features four of his films, including his acclaimed 2015 video installation Vertigo Sea.
(Opening image: Thomas Bayrle “Bierrakete,” 1969. Photo: Wolfgang Günzel)
Reza Abdoh Retrospective
MoMA PS1
22-25 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City
CLOSES: September 3
The Iranian-American theater visionary, celebrated for his powerful, groundbreaking productions during his tenure as director of the Dar a Luz theater group in the early ’90s, receives his first major retrospective. The extensive showcase features costumes and videos the artist created for his performances and an installation based on his 1991 piece “Bogeyman.”
