Exhibitions that double as interventions in an establishment’s bodily house are sometimes higher in concept than observe. Spora on the Swiss Institute, nevertheless, is a uncommon exception. The present, which unfolds over three years (Might 2023 to Might 2026) is actually alive, with artwork that features rising weeds and compost. The title displays the thought of spores spreading by way of an area whereas the works — put in throughout the constructing’s hallways, stairwells, elevator, and rooftop — all relate to ecology and local weather change, with various complexity. As an example, stripes painted on the partitions by Hendl Helen Mirra are calls to make use of leftover combined paint, thus decreasing the manufacturing and delivery of the medium, however the ecological dimension isn’t fairly as apparent as in “Vermi-Sibyl” (2023), Jenna Sutela’s sculptural compost bin.
Two of Spora’s primary strengths are merely that the artworks are visually participating and the deft curation sparks connections amongst them. In a single haunting show, a wild tangle of weeds rising from a planter beneath a window from Uriel Orlow’s Welcome Weeds sequence (2024–ongoing) is juxtaposed with Li Tavor’s resin-coated shirt whose cranberry shade takes on a stained glass high quality because the daylight filters by way of it. An accompanying soundscape by Tavor infuses the stairwell tableau with an uncanny ambiance of absent presence.
Set up view of Spora on the Swiss Institute displaying pictures from Dionne Lee’s Strolling Stick sequence (2024) on a wall with portray by Hendl Helen Mirra
Different resin-covered clothes by Tavor (all from the 2025 sequence Figures, Doorways, Passages) is in dialog with works that indicate motion, reminiscent of Dionne Lee’s Strolling Stick sequence, black and white pictures from 2024 that dramatize the shadows solid by twigs and branches. These in flip dialog with Lee Mary Manning’s pictures depicting bushes or pedestrians on streets, whereas Mirra’s patches of paint on the steps in “Harmless mistake” (2023) draw consideration to the viewer’s motion by way of the house. (One disadvantage to Spora, and equally put in reveals, is that guests with mobility points might have hassle accessing areas reminiscent of stairwells.)
Daring outside work on the perimeters of the constructing announce the present to passersby; these by Raven Chacon, “Vertical Neighbors” (2024), double as a musical rating, including one other dimension to the expertise. Spora is subtler than the reveals within the Swiss Institute’s galleries, but it surely lingers within the thoughts, its interconnections multiplying like spores.
Set up view of Spora on the Swiss Institute with artwork by Hendl Helen Mirra, Li Tavor, and Uriel Orlow
Raven Chacon’s portray on the Swiss Institute’s rooftop patio
A view of Vivian Suter’s portray from the Swiss Institute’s rooftop patio
Spora continues on the Swiss Institute (38 St Marks Place, East Village, Manhattan) by way of Might 10, 2026. The exhibition was organized by Stefanie Hessler, director, Alison Coplan, chief curator, and KJ Abudu, assistant curator.
