Active Matter
2023
The Museum of Modern Art’s (MoMA) inaugural Impermanent Collection, Active Matter, opened in the Fall of 2027. The 64 works in the initial collection were created by artists and designers working with strictly organic and bio-based materials meant to degrade over time. To compile the artwork, the Museum held a special artist invitational for creators working in the field of bio-design. MoMA felt that the inclusion of such work would raise the question: “What could valuing material impermanence look like?” and spark important conversations around material hierarchy. The space remained un-conditioned so that the work could naturally decompose over time, displaying the process of decay and renewal in real-time.
This display concatenates traces of faded works (Fig. 5), an Artforum review of the collection prior to its opening by Zachary Fine (Fig. 4), an artist invitation (Fig. 3), posters advertising the opening pushing back against the traditional model of traveling exhibitions (Fig. 1), and the inaugural collection catalog (Fig 6).
Included as part of a group show & publication (below).