Hyundai Terrace Commission: Marina Zurkow
Fri, May 30
|Whitney Museum of American Art
A living river flows into digital art—Marina Zurkow’s animation merges ecology, weather, and urban memory on the Whitney’s outdoor terrace.
Time & Location
May 30, 2025, 7:00 AM – Jan 11, 2026, 11:00 PM
Whitney Museum of American Art, 99 Gansevoort St, New York, NY 10014, USA
About the event
April 9, 2025 – January 11, 2026Whitney Museum of American ArtFloor 5, Outdoor Gallery
The Hyundai Terrace Commission at the Whitney presents The River is a Circle, a software-driven animation by Marina Zurkow, seamlessly blending nature, data, and New York’s layered history into a dynamic visual experience.
Positioned on the museum’s outdoor terrace, Zurkow’s work unfolds as a horizontal meditation on the Hudson River, revealing life above and below the surface. Algorithmically generated to reflect real-time weather and seasons in New York, this ever-evolving digital canvas showcases oyster reef balls, maritime wreckage, and shifting river ecologies—animated echoes of our fragile relationship with the environment.
Zurkow’s storytelling dives deep, weaving in references to the Meatpacking District’s past—from Lenape trading post and meatpacking hub to the radical art of Gordon Matta-Clark and David Hammons. The installation doesn’t just visualize a river; it speculates on ecological regeneration and circular systems of coexistence, inspiring hope through…