New York's New Museum and Korea's Ulsan Art Museum are kicking off a new partnership, and they're doing it with an artist whose work will quite literally bridge continents. Thanks to the Hyundai Translocal Series (because even art needs a good sponsor), the two institutions are bringing the acclaimed Singaporean artist Ho Tzu Nyen into the fold. And his new piece? It's pulling double duty.
Ho Tzu Nyen, known for his multimedia magic and representing Singapore at the Venice Biennale with The Cloud of Unknowing, is creating a brand-new work that will be installed in two very distinct locations. Part of it will live in the glass elevators of the New Museum's freshly redesigned building. The other part will be displayed in Ulsan, a coastal city in Korea. So, you can ride an elevator in New York and be part of a global art conversation. Which, if you think about it, is both impressive and slightly terrifying.
Art That Travels (Without the Jet Lag)
This isn't Ho Tzu Nyen's first rodeo with major accolades. He just snagged the Chanel Next Prize in 2024, and the Singapore Art Museum recently showcased two decades of his films, animations, and performances. So, he's got the chops to make this transcontinental art experiment work.
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Start Your News DetoxRegan Grusy, acting director of the New Museum, and Changsub Lim, director of the Ulsan Art Museum, were, understandably, quite chuffed about the whole thing. They noted that the Hyundai Translocal Series is all about overcoming distance, sharing cultures, and exploring how art can connect the local and the global. Because apparently, that's where we are now: art in elevators, linking cities.
This ten-year project by Hyundai Motor Company, which started in 2025 (yes, you read that right — planning ahead, much?), aims to connect art institutions worldwide through joint commissions, residencies, and traveling exhibitions. Other global players include Korea’s Cheongju Craft Biennale, the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation, and the UK's Whitworth. The directors are banking on this partnership to forge new connections between their cities and art communities, creating works that offer a "multilayered reality." Because a single layer just isn't enough these days.
