The New Museum in New York is reopening on March 21 with a major expansion—a 60,000-square-foot addition designed by OMA, doubling its footprint. To celebrate, the museum paired three artists featured in its inaugural exhibition "New Humans: Memories of the Future" with three independent fashion designers for studio conversations. The article presents one such dialogue between artist Cato Ouyang and designer Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen, who discuss their New York origin stories and the challenges of creative life in the city.
This piece matters because it highlights the New Museum's continued role as a counterweight to uptown institutions, offering early exposure to avant-garde art since its founding in 1977. The expansion and the cross-disciplinary collaboration with fashion underscore the museum's commitment to reflecting downtown New York's evolving creative ecosystem. The conversation between Ouyang and Whalen also provides intimate insight into how artists and designers navigate the city's affordability crisis and maintain their practices in 2026.