MoMA PS1 has opened its marquee spring exhibition, “The Gatherers,” a group show featuring 14 artists from around the world who explore the psychic and material burdens of climate change, globalization, and neoliberalism. Curated by Ruba Katrib, the exhibition includes works in sculpture, video, assemblage, and installation, spanning regions from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Lithuania, and is on view through October 6. Katrib, PS1’s chief curator and director of curatorial affairs, emphasizes that the show lets the artworks speak for themselves through form and material rather than delivering a direct lecture.
The exhibition matters because it arrives amid global upheaval—worsening climate change, economic precarity, and political shifts—and reflects how contemporary artists are responding to a world defined by overproduction, waste, and failing infrastructure. Katrib conceived the show in the aftermath of the pandemic, a period that she says shook up narratives and gave artists a clearing to become more active. By connecting practices across continents, “The Gatherers” offers a timely, immersive look at how artists use creative language to address urgent societal issues without losing artistic nuance.