New York Newsletter
T-shirts revolutionize the Costume Institute’s programming, the sociability of MoMA’s Brancusi exhibit, and the curators of the 2028 Whitney Biennial announced.
A saturated blue sky and cascades of complementary golden-yellow foliage laid the foundation for a vibrant, picturesque Diwali weekend in the suburbs. It wasn’t the most festive Diwali for me — instead of lighting diyas and playing with sparklers, I spent a majority of the weekend hand-feeding a friendly yard squirrel while wearing some bullshit pajamas extracted from the depths of my childhood closet.
Think I’m slumming it? Well, think again! Because those dilapidated pajamas are almost certainly what inspired the theme for next year’s Met Gala and related Costume Institute exhibit: extraOrdinary: Fashion and the Poetics of the Everyday, a program “devoted to the undersung beauty and allure of quotidian garments.” (That’s code for jeans.)
(And t-shirts. And raincoats. Maybe pajamas, but also maybe not.)
It’s an exasperated, last-minute pivot after controversial British fashion designer John Galliano, who was central to the Costume Institute’s original program for 2027, withdrew from participating entirely this August in response to the public backlash toward his racist behavior in the past. Between “elevating” daily wear into runway fashion and exploring how “humble, even ‘disposable’ materials” like paper and aluminum can become wearable, this enormous exercise in putting a positive spin on gentrifying economic recession is at odds with NYC residents who are buckling from profound unaffordability as the city speedruns its transformation into a private equity playground.
I guess I can’t really say which is worse — the current standard of celebrities in bespoke, extravagant garments from elite fashion houses hanging off their GLP-1 frames, or the notion that a Met Gala dress code calling for aluminum foil pants, a shrunken tee, and maybe a jacket made from hole-punched plastic circles is what’ll push people to consider everyday wear in a different light.
However, before we get too pressed, we have to acknowledge that this is a big moment for the Bad Bunny x Zara collection! On the plus side, it might make it easier for some ~lowly civs~ to sneak in and eat all the cheese cubes. Dress for the job you want, right?
Speaking of jobs — Whitney Museum curator Meg Onli returns as a co-curator for the 2028 Whitney Biennial, sharing the stage with director and dancer Zack Winokur, who co-founded the interdisciplinary American Modern Opera Company in 2017. I found the 2026 Biennial to be a textbook case of the whole being less than the sum of its parts. Let’s see how Winokur’s hand in artistic performance direction manifests in this curatorial behemoth; I’m sure he’s used to working with a lot of moving parts.
Back to the here and now, I’m long overdue for multiple museum visits at the peak of the season. The days keep slipping through my fingers before I’ve had a chance to visit the Krasner Pollock show at The Met or the Architects of Liberation at the MoMA. Mayor Mamdani actually paid a visit to the MoMA show before I did, and he’s significantly busier than I am, so there’s really no excuse!
In another nudge for me to make the journey uptown, MoMA recently opened its Brancusi exhibition. With a replica of Brancusi’s studio and a selection of rare media documenting his work environment and the social atmosphere he cultivated between his sculptures and his guests alike, the exhibition spotlights the artist’s labor-intensive process as an art form in itself.
Critic Aruna D’Souza noted that the “sculptures seem to be maintaining COVID-era social distancing protocols,” and chalked that awkward dynamic up to the MoMA’s renovated gallery layout, recalling the previously approachable setup’s capacity to “allow for art objects to talk to each other.”
On Sunday, I bore witness to a conversation that made me think about Brancusi’s glinting buffed bronzes and smooth marbles. The chatter between a yellowing tree branch, an overturned recycling bin, and the white picket fence behind them might have been too maximalist compared to the Romanian sculptor’s sleek, pared-down modernism. Nevertheless, I pulled over to eavesdrop.
Claire Valdez Will Be Your Artist in Congress
Among the historic wave of triumphs for Democrats in yesterday’s midterms, New York State Assemblywoman Claire Valdez, an artist, former cultural worker, and union organizer, was elected to represent New York’s 7th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. | Anna Lee
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What Else Is Happening?
- New York Foundation for the Arts is hosting a free virtual workshop on protecting your art in the age of AI. The discussion will be illustrated with stories in which artists found themselves entangled with the law—and how it all turned out. (Thurs Nov 12) [nyfa.org]
- To celebrate Diwali, Studio Oso is hosting a polymer clay workshop. Possible creations include diyas, earrings, trinkets, magnets, and more. (Sat Nov 14) [studiooso.com]
- The 11th annual Brooklyn Cranksgiving is on with a scavenger-hunt-style bike ride that supports food access and equity in our community. (Sat Nov 14) [Brooklyn Cranksgiving]
- Filmmaker Ira Sachs just finished reading Chloe Aridjis’ new book, The Shadow of the Object. They’re going to sit down to talk about it — and you’re invited! (Mon Nov 16) [giornopoetrysystems.org]
- Pioneer Works and The Yale Review join forces for the only US event for the Life of M, a new — and highly anticipated — novel by Rachel Cusk. (Tues Nov 17) [pioneerworks.org]
