New York is getting another addition to its esteemed roll of arts institutions. Slated to open in 2026, CANYON marks a first for the city, transforming a long-vacant 40,000-square-foot commercial space into a hub for video, sound performances and durational art.
Equal parts museum, performance venue and social space, CANYON promises to bring depth to new forms of art. The venue will feature evening-focused hours and cutting-edge technology tailored to immersive, screen-based storytelling — works “resists the quick glance,” co-founder Joe Thompson described.
Created by philanthropist Robert Rosenkranz and Thompson, who also serves as the founding director of MASS MoCA, the institution, at its core, is a commitment to artists specializing in time-based mediums, wrestling with ideas of surveillance, artificial intelligence and climate anxiety. “In a world where most people engage with information, memory and identity through screens, video has become the natural language of rising generations, and artists are using that language in profoundly inventive ways,” added Rosenkranz.
The upcoming institution will call Lower East Side’s Essex Crossing home. New Affiliates Architecture has been tapped to lead the building’s transformation, which will feature 18,000 sq. feet of gallery space, a 60-foot-tall gathering space and a 300-seat performance hall for concerts, lectures and screenings.” The goal, according to Thompson, is a welcoming environment that “feels more like a living room than a white cube,” with a focus on hospitality and atmosphere. Key cultural partners, such as Electronic Arts Intermix, Rhizome and the ARChive of Contemporary Music, will also maintain a permanent presence within CANYON.
While programming development is still underway, tentative plans include a retrospective of Japanese sound and media artist Ryoji Ikeda, and Worldbuilding, the acclaimed video game-focused group show curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist. As New York continues to push the boundaries of contemporary culture, CANYON positions itself as a future-facing space for the evolving language of contemporary art.
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