Each week, we search New York City for the most exciting and thought-provoking shows, screenings, and events. See them below. 

Tuesday, August 13–Sunday, November 24 

Elle Perez, Arroz con pollo asado, plantano maduros y yuca (2019). Courtesy of the artist and 47 Canal, New York.

1. “Elle Pérez: from sun to sun” from the Public Art Fund 

Over the next few months, during the doldrums of your daily commute, you may find yourself gazing upon the larger-than-life photographs of New York-based artist Elle Pérez. “from sun to sun,” the latest citywide exhibition from the Public Art Fund, is bringing the photographer’s latest series to 100 of the city’s bus shelters scattered through 13 neighborhoods. As the exhibition title might suggest, these images (16 distinct photographs, each repeated six to seven times) create a sense of rhythm and the passage of time as Perez has captured intimate vignettes of the city’s people, politics, and physical nuances (a crack in the sidewalk, a tangle of bicycles). Curated by Katerina Stathopoulou, the exhibition is a meditation on the details that compose the forever-moving life of the city, and those moments (like a the bus shelter), where we pause.

Location: 100 bus shelters in 13 neighborhoods throughout the city
Price: Free
Time: 24 hours a day 

—Katie White 

Wednesday, August 14 and Thursday, August 15

Out of Line: Blood Fountain by A.R.M. Image courtesy of the High Line.

2. “Out of Line: Blood Fountain by A.R.M.” at the High Line

Blood Fountain, the latest in the High Line’s now four-year-old “Out of Line” performance art series, is a performative HIV/AIDS memorial from A.R.M., a collaborative effort from artists Alexandro Segade, Robert Acklen, and Malik Gaines. Costumed in a mix of fetish gear, sports equipment, and medical supplies, the cast will perform pop songs that have been rewritten to reference queer history and the ongoing AIDS crisis.

Location: High Line, West 30th Street and Tenth Avenue
Price: Free with RSVP
Time: 8 p.m.

—Sarah Cascone

Thursday, August 15

Installation view of “You Can’t Win: Jack Black’s America” at the Fortnight Institute. Photo courtesy of the Fortnight Institute.

3. “Luc Sante and Randy Kennedy in Conversation” at the Fortnight Institute

Former New York Times art journalist Randy Kennedy, now Hauser and Wirth’s director of special projects, has curated “You Can’t Win: Jack Black’s America,” a group show on view at the Fortnight Institute through August 18. On Thursday, he’ll speak with Luc Sante, author of Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York, who loaned parts of his vintage folk postcard collection to the exhibition.

Location: The Fortnight Institute, 60 East 4th Street
Price: Free
Time: 6 p.m.

—Sarah Cascone

“Tony Morrison: The Pieces I Am,” courtesy of Magnolia Pictures & Magnet Releasing.

4. “Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am” film screening at the Brooklyn Museum

In the wake of Nobel Prize-winner Toni Morrison’s death last week at age 88, the Brooklyn Museum is screening a documentary exploring her life and legacy. Directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, art and history are intertwined in this ode to a legendary writer.

Location: Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway
Price: Free with RSVP
Time: 7 p.m.–9 p.m.

—Caroline Goldstein

Cocktails at Cooper Hewitt in the Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden. Courtesy of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

5. “Cocktails at the Cooper Hewitt: Dylan Dunlap With DJ Jennifly” at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

As summer winds down, it’s the last outdoor concert of the season at the Cooper Hewitt, featuring a live performance by singer-songwriter Dylan Dunlap and a set from DJ Jennifly, both in the museum’s beautiful garden. Cocktails and light bites will be available for purchase at Tarallucci e Vino Cafe.

Location: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden, entrance at East 90th Street between Madison and Fifth Avenues
Price: $14 advance tickets, $16 at the door
Time: 6 p.m.–9 p.m.

—Sarah Cascone

Friday, August 16

Mort Gerberg’s caricature of himself playing the piano. Courtesy of Mort Gerberg.

6. “Cole Porter Piano Series: Cartoonist Mort Gerberg” at the New-York Historical Society

If you missed New Yorker cartoonist Mort Gerberg’s show at the historical society earlier this spring, you can catch him tickling the ivories at the museum this Friday. Gerberg will play selections from the Great American Songbook on the museum’s recently restored 1907 Steinway piano that once belonged to famed composer Cole Porter. Get there early during the museum’s Friday night pay-what-you-wish hours to ensure a seat, and stay late to have the artist sign a copy of his book Mort Gerberg on the Scene.

Location: New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West at Richard Gilder Way (West 77th Street), Smith Gallery
Price: Free, but limited to 40 guests
Time: Performance 6:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.; book signing in museum gift shop to follow

—Sarah Cascone

Friday, August 16–Monday, January 6, 2020

7. “Clapping With Stones: Art and Acts of Resistance” at the Rubin Museum of Art

This exhibition focuses on non-conformity and resistance through the lens of 10 contemporary artists who explore a wide range of societal and political themes while making an open-ended call to action. Admission is free on Friday evening and guests can dance to music by DJ Tasha Blank, hear comments from guest curator Sara Raza, and toast to the new exhibition with happy hour in the K2 Lounge.

Location: Rubin Museum of Art 150 West 17th Street, New York
Price: Adults, $19; seniors, students, and visitors with disabilities, $14; members and children 12 and under, free
Time: Opening reception Friday 6 p.m.–11 p.m.; Monday & Thursday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; Wednesda,y 11 a.m.–9 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m.–10 p.m; Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.

—Eileen Kinsella

Friday, August 16

Austin Furtak-Cole and Carlo D’Anselmi, Courtesy of ROOM.

8. “Carlo D’Anselmi and Austin Furtak-Cole: Arrhythmia” at ROOM

Brooklyn-based artists Carlo D’Anselmi and Austin Furtak-Cole will show their paintings at Greenpoint’s ROOM this Friday. Fellow Stony Brook University graduate Furtak-Cole paints in a part-abstract and part-figurative style; body parts float on the canvas, creating Lynchian still-lifes. D’Anselmi’s phosphorescent, aquatic scenes are the perfect tribute to summer.

Location: 824 Manhattan Avenue #3R, Brooklyn
Price: Free
Time: Opening reception, 7 p.m.–9 p.m.; viewing hours by appointment

—Cristina Cruz

Through Friday, August 16

Deborah Brown, The Return of Ulysses (2019). Courtesy of Danese/Corey.

9. “In the Summertime” at Danese/Corey 

“When the weather’s fine/We go fishin’ or go swimmin’ in the sea/We’re always happy/Life’s for livin’ yeah, that’s our philosophy,” goes the quirky 1970s hit “In the Summertime” by Mungo Jerry. Whether this 11-artist exhibition of the same name is a direct reference to the tune or just a coincidence, the show similarly espouses the sentiment that summer is the season for enjoying life. This sleeper exhibition of figurative paintings delights with scenes of swimming, backyard games, moment of dreamy repose. A haptic sensuality (of water on the body, sunlight on skin) permeates throughout, especially in the works of Dominic Musa and Grace Metzler, while Deborah Brown’s images of nude women traipsing through nature have a mythical nymph-like insouciance.

Location: Danese/Corey, 511 West 22nd Street
Price: Free
Time: Monday–Friday, 10 a.m-6 p.m.

—Katie White

Through Sunday, August 18

Installation view of “Harald Szeemann | Grandfather: A Pioneer Like Us” at the Swiss Institute. Photo courtesy of the Swiss Institute.

10. “Harald Szeemann | Grandfather: A Pioneer Like Us” at the Swiss Institute 

In 1974, the curator Harald Szeemann, who died in 2005, staged a show in his apartment in Bern, Switzerland, about the life and work of his grandfather, hairstylist and inventor Étienne Szeemann. Thanks to a loan of approximately 1,200 objects from the Getty Research Institute’s Harald Szeemann Archive and Library and private collections, the Swiss Institute has restaged the show, creating a atmospheric facsimile of Szeemann’s living quarters as they appeared during the exhibition.

Location: The Swiss Institute, 38 St. Marks Place
Price: Free
Time: Wednesday–Friday, 2 p.m.–8 p.m.; Saturday,12 p.m.–8 p.m.; Sunday, 12 p.m.–6 p.m.

—Sarah Cascone

Installation view of “Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die” at the Museum of Art and Design. Photo by Jenna Bascom.

11. “Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die” at the Museum of Art and Design

The Museum of Art and Design has amassed an impressive array of graphic design from the punk era, ranging from posters and zines to album art and buttons, all thanks to a generous loan from collector Andrew Krivine.

Location: The Museum of Arts and Design, 2 Columbus Circle
Price: $16 general admission; $14 for seniors; $12 for students
Time: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m.–9 p.m.

—Nan Stewert

Through Monday, September 2

Installation view of “Simone Fattal: Works and Days,” on view at MoMA PS1 through September 2, 2019. Courtesy of the artist and Balice Hertling, Paris; Karma International, Zurich/Los Angeles; kaufmann repetto, Milan/New York; and Galerie Tanit, Munich/Beirut. Photo by Matthew Septimus, courtesy of MoMA PS1.

12. “Simone Fattal: Works and Days” at MoMA PS1

Its the final weeks of the first US museum show for Lebanese American artist Simone Fattal, featuring abstract and figurative sculptures—over 200 works made from ceramic, stoneware, terracotta, bronze, and porcelain—as well as paintings and collages from the past 50 years. Forced to flee Lebanon at the outbreak of civil war in 1980, Fattal is inspired by themes of displacement, and draws on ancient history and myth in her work.

Location: MoMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, Queens
Price: $10 suggested general admission, free for New York City residents
Time: Opening reception, 6 p.m.–8 p.m.; Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.

—Sarah Cascone

The Blue Man Group playing their PVC pipe instrument. Photo by Lindsey Best.

13. “Blue Man Group: Ready… Go!” at the Museum of the City of New York

Founded in 1987, performance art company the Blue Man Group has had an ongoing production at New York’s Astor Place Theater since 1991, performing in their signature blue body paint with strange, custom-made instruments. Earlier this year, the group retired the original, massive three-part percussive piece made of PVP piping that had been one of the centerpieces of the show, lending it to the Museum of the City of New York as part of an exhibition on the group’s history and countercultural origins.

Location: The Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Avenue at East 103rd Street
Price: $20 suggested general admission
Time: 10 a.m.–6 p.m.

—Sarah Cascone

Through Sunday, September 15

Kyle Breitenbach, Gently Disappear (2019). Courtesy of the artist and SHRINE.

14. “Kyle Breitenbach: When the Leaves Come Down” at SHRINE

For Kyle Breitenbach’s third solo show at SHRINE, the artist uses alchemical processes to not only visualize, but actualize, the perpetually unsettled state of our world. After being completely hidden by overpainting, compositions drawn from folklore, science fiction, and metaphysics gradually eat their way back to visibility over time, then continue to shift even after their re-emergence as “ghostly likeness[es].” The paintings’ shimmering, iridescent surfaces—another effect of the underlying chemical reaction—ensure that, even in the moment, the works are perceived to be in flux and independent of Breitenbach’s influence, mirroring the reality of both nature and our eternally impoverished attempts to represent it.

Location: SHRINE, 179 East Broadway
Price: Free
Time: Tuesday–Saturday, 12 p.m.–6 p.m.

—Tim Schneider

James Fuentes, installation view of “Berta Fischer,” 2019.

15. “Berta Fischer” at James Fuentes 

In Berta Fischer’s solo show at James Fuentes, the Berlin-based artist uses synthetic materials to play with form, light, and color. The hanging and wall-mounted sculptures that fill the gallery are at the same time deceptively lightweight and visually stunning.

Location: James Fuentes, 55 Delancey Street, #D
Price: Free
Time: Tuesday–Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. through August 23; closed August 24–September 2; Wednesday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. after Labor Day

—Neha Jambhekar

Through Saturday, October 26

Yoon Chung Han, Eyes (2018). Photo courtesy of the Korean Media Arts Festival.

16. “Korean Media Arts Festival: Technoimagination” at the Sylvia Wald & Po Kim Gallery

The inaugural Korean Media Arts Festival features two exhibitions, “Memories in Time and Space,” about the modernization of Korea, and “Living Data,” which considers concerns about artificial intelligence, virtual security, and data privacy.

Location: The Sylvia Wald & Po Kim Gallery, 417 Lafayette Street, 4th, 5th and 7th floor galleries
Price: Free
Time: Tuesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.

—Tanner West

Through Sunday, January 26, 2020

Vera Neumann at Printex, ca. 1950s. Courtesy of the Collection Susan Seid.

17. “Vera Paints a Scarf: The Art and Life of Vera Neumann” at the Museum of Art and Design

Put Vera Neumann in the category of great 20th-century women you should have learned about in school. One of the most successful female design entrepreneurs of the modern era, she built a $100 million business out of her joyful, inventive designs. The exhibition explores the development of her brand, Vera Industries, through more than 200 objects ranging from scarves to clothes to table linens. Looking for a special way to explore the show? The museum is holding a series of special private tours led by guest docents; it begins on August 16 with comedian and downtown New York icon Murray Hill.

Location: The Museum of Arts and Design, 2 Columbus Circle
Price: $16 general admission; $14 for seniors; $12 for students
Time: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m.–9 p.m.

—Julia Halperin

Through Sunday, February 9, 2020

Alvin Baltrop, The Piers (sunbathing platform with Tava mural) (1975–86). Courtesy of the Alvin Baltrop Trust, © 2010, Third Streaming, New York, and Galerie Buchholz, Berlin/Cologne/New York.

18. “The Life and Times of Alvin Baltrop” at the Bronx Museum of the Arts

For more than a decade in the mid-1970s and ‘80s, Bronx-born photographer Alvin Baltrop fixated his lens on Manhattan’s West Side piers—a run-down stretch of concrete and abandoned industrial structures where gay men met to sunbathe and socialize. “The Life and Times of Alvin Baltrop,” the first museum show dedicated to the late artist’s work, brings together hundreds of those photos, painting a vignette of New York’s vibrant gay culture in the hopeful years before the AIDS epidemic.

Location: The Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse, Bronx
Price: Free
Time:  Wednesday–Sunday, 11:00 am–6:00 pm

—Taylor Dafoe

Through Sunday, August 23, 2020

Unknown Indian artist, Punjab Hills, Kingdom of Kangra, Rama, Sita and Lakshmana Begin their Life in the Forest (ca. 1800–10), detail. Promised gift of Steven Kossak, the Kronos Collections. Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

19. “Sita and Rama: The Ramayana in Indian Painting” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met takes a look at art inspired by the Ramayana, a South Asian epic written by Sanskrit poet Valmiki around the 5th century BC. Drawing from the museum collection as well as promised gifts, the exhibition features 30 17th- to 19th-century paintings from royal courts in northern India, all illustrating the hero Rama’s quest to rescue his wife Sita from the demon Ravana.

Location: The Met Fifth Avenue, 1000 Fifth Avenue
Price: $25 general admission
Time: Sunday–Thursday, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.–9 p.m.

—Sarah Cascone