Artist interventions

Permanent event at the MoMA PS1 in New York, United States

17 February 2020

Lawrence Weiner: A bit of matter and a little bit more Originally part of the exhibition Rooms in 1976, Lawrence Weiner wrote the title phrase on the inside of the front entrance as well as on the outside of the back door of MoMA PS1. The original doors, made of wood and metal, were removed during the renovation in 1997. After the renovation was completed, the artist was invited back to recreate the piece on both sides of the glass windows of the front doors. Lawrence Weiner. A bit of matter and a little bit more. 1976. © 2017 Lawrence Weiner. Photo: Matthew Septimus

Artist interventions at MoMA PS1 can be seen year-round. These site-specific installations range in scale and medium; some are obvious to the eye while others are more subtly placed.

Many installations have remained on view since the 1970s, when MoMA PS1 was The Institute for Art and Urban Resources Inc.

Since MoMA PS1 is the largest non-collecting contemporary art institution in the world, these works belong to the artists.

MoMA PS1

The Museum of Modern Art is dedicated to being the foremost museum of modern art in the world.

Museum profile

Location

New York, United States

Founded in

1929

William Kentridge: Stair Procession
This site-specific installation was curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev as part of P.S.1’s Vertical Painting series initiated by Alanna Heiss in 1997. Created for P.S.1’s northwest stairwell, Stair Procession is a white-on-black drawing similar to white chalk graffiti. The constricted nature of the staircase played a role in the artist’s decision to use anamorphic distortions. Kentridge evokes the building’s original function as a public school in establishing both the subject matter and method.

William Kentridge. Stair Procession. 2000. © 2017 William Kentridge. Photo: John Berens

Abigail Lazkoz: Cameraman
Abigail Lazkoz created the series Cameramen in 2002 and displayed it for the first time in MoMA PS1’s exhibition Greater New York 2005. The work consists of three large-scale drawings that reinterpret Jose Guadaulpe Posada’s 1914 engraving Se Aproxima el Fin del Mundo Las Profecias Se Cumplen Temblores, Erupciones, Guerras, Pestes, Hambres E Incendios. La Celebre Madre Matiana (The end of the World is Near, Prophecies Come True, Earthquakes, Eruptions, Wars Diseases, Famine, and Fires).

Abigail Lazkoz. Cameraman. 2002. © 2017 Abigail Lazkoz. Photo: Martin Seck

Saul Melman: Central Governor
Saul Melman’s installation is the result of a six-month-long performance during which he chiseled 5,000 pounds of salt block and covered MoMA PS1’s old boiler with gold leaf. Melman transformed the massive structure into a gilded object, making allusions to the alchemical properties that have been long associated with salt and gold. Central Governor was originally presented in the 2010 Greater New York exhibition in conjunction with Aki Sasamoto and her performance and installation Skewed Lies (2010).

Saul Melman. Central Governor. 2010. © 2017 Saul Melman. Photo: Martin Seck

William Kentridge: Stair Procession This site-specific installation was curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev as part of P.S.1’s Vertical Painting series initiated by Alanna Heiss in 1997. Created for P.S.1’s northwest stairwell, Stair Procession is a white-on-black drawing similar to white chalk graffiti. The constricted nature of the staircase played a role in the artist’s decision to use anamorphic distortions. Kentridge evokes the building’s original function as a public school in establishing both the subject matter and method. William Kentridge. Stair Procession. 2000. © 2017 William Kentridge. Photo: John Berens
Abigail Lazkoz: Cameraman Abigail Lazkoz created the series Cameramen in 2002 and displayed it for the first time in MoMA PS1’s exhibition Greater New York 2005. The work consists of three large-scale drawings that reinterpret Jose Guadaulpe Posada’s 1914 engraving Se Aproxima el Fin del Mundo Las Profecias Se Cumplen Temblores, Erupciones, Guerras, Pestes, Hambres E Incendios. La Celebre Madre Matiana (The end of the World is Near, Prophecies Come True, Earthquakes, Eruptions, Wars Diseases, Famine, and Fires). Abigail Lazkoz. Cameraman. 2002. © 2017 Abigail Lazkoz. Photo: Martin Seck
Saul Melman: Central Governor Saul Melman’s installation is the result of a six-month-long performance during which he chiseled 5,000 pounds of salt block and covered MoMA PS1’s old boiler with gold leaf. Melman transformed the massive structure into a gilded object, making allusions to the alchemical properties that have been long associated with salt and gold. Central Governor was originally presented in the 2010 Greater New York exhibition in conjunction with Aki Sasamoto and her performance and installation Skewed Lies (2010). Saul Melman. Central Governor. 2010. © 2017 Saul Melman. Photo: Martin Seck

Abigail Lazkoz: Cameraman Abigail Lazkoz created the series Cameramen in 2002 and displayed it for the first time in MoMA PS1’s exhibition Greater New York 2005. The work consists of three large-scale drawings that reinterpret Jose Guadaulpe Posada’s 1914 engraving Se Aproxima el Fin del Mundo Las Profecias Se Cumplen Temblores, Erupciones, Guerras, Pestes, Hambres E Incendios. La Celebre Madre Matiana (The end of the World is Near, Prophecies Come True, Earthquakes, Eruptions, Wars Diseases, Famine, and Fires). Abigail Lazkoz. Cameraman. 2002. © 2017 Abigail Lazkoz. Photo: Martin Seck
Saul Melman: Central Governor Saul Melman’s installation is the result of a six-month-long performance during which he chiseled 5,000 pounds of salt block and covered MoMA PS1’s old boiler with gold leaf. Melman transformed the massive structure into a gilded object, making allusions to the alchemical properties that have been long associated with salt and gold. Central Governor was originally presented in the 2010 Greater New York exhibition in conjunction with Aki Sasamoto and her performance and installation Skewed Lies (2010). Saul Melman. Central Governor. 2010. © 2017 Saul Melman. Photo: Martin Seck
William Kentridge: Stair Procession This site-specific installation was curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev as part of P.S.1’s Vertical Painting series initiated by Alanna Heiss in 1997. Created for P.S.1’s northwest stairwell, Stair Procession is a white-on-black drawing similar to white chalk graffiti. The constricted nature of the staircase played a role in the artist’s decision to use anamorphic distortions. Kentridge evokes the building’s original function as a public school in establishing both the subject matter and method. William Kentridge. Stair Procession. 2000. © 2017 William Kentridge. Photo: John Berens