Worldbuilding and constructing higher worlds — these are idealistic notions that may grow to be indulgences within the artwork world. However, to paraphrase Hyperalleric’s Editor-in-Chief, Hrag Vartanian, in his assessment of artist Saya Woolfalk’s present survey, when executed nicely, they are often highly effective. All the artists beneath have endeavored to construct moral worlds and enhance our personal. Whereas Woolfalk’s futuristic installations and hybrid creatures toy with the idea of hyperreality, Umber Majeed merges the analog world of the previous with forward-facing applied sciences. Then again, Ben Shahn spent his profession collaborating and organizing with others to create a world that’s extra only for all, and for nearly half a century, Magali Lara has championed feminism and carved out an area for ladies in Mexico’s artwork world and past. —Natalie Haddad, Critiques Editor
Magali Lara: Stitched to the Physique
Institute for Research on Latin American Artwork, 142 Franklin Road, Tribeca, ManhattanThrough August 16
Magali Lara, “Y entonces escuché el fuego” (1990) (picture Natalie Haddad/Hyperallergic)
“Lara’s sinuous trees, in sync with a mosaic of blue and indigo brushstrokes, are not overtaken by the elements but rather move with them; their roots and branches seemingly shape the world around them through sheer psychical force.” —NH
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Saya Woolfalk: Empathic Universe
Museum of Arts and Design, 2 Columbus Circle, Columbus Circle, ManhattanThrough September 7
Saya Woolfalk, “Utopia Conjuring Chamber, Greene County, New York, circa 2012” (2012) (picture Hrag Vartanian/Hyperallergic)
“In her aesthetic universe, the artwork moves beyond realism to a more psychological state of being, and she mines pop culture and historical allusions at every turn.” —Hrag Vartanian
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Ben Shahn, On Nonconformity
Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Avenue, Higher East Aspect, ManhattanThrough October 12
Ben Shahn, assisted by John Ormai, “Harvesting Wheat [study for the west wall of The Meaning of Social Security mural, Washington, DC]” (1941), buon fresco on wallboard (picture Isabella Segalovich/Hyperallergic)
“If we are to learn from his work — as well we should — we must understand that ‘nonconformity’ is not, and cannot be, a solo venture.” —Isabella Segalovich
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Umber Majeed: J😊y Tech
Queens Museum, Flushing Meadows, Corona Park, QueensThrough January 18, 2026
Set up view of Umber Majeed, “WE CAN FIX IT” (2025), ceramic, decal, and wooden (picture Lisa Yin Zhang/Hyperallergic)
“This one-room exhibition is one of the most technically inventive I’ve seen, and is a fresh and exciting excavation of the fertile physical/digital intersection between diasporic Asian and early internet aesthetics.” —Lisa Yin Zhang
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