No Longer Empty redefines public art by transforming empty storefronts into public art exhibitions with accompanying programs.

The exhibition, About Face, situates itself in the Festival of Ideas for the New City by the New Museum and looks at alternative ways an exhibition can be created and received. In the heart of the Lower East Side, About Face will reconfigure the art space into the urban sphere. The exhibition specifically elucidates various components of traditional exhibition formats so alternatives can be imagined.

Interactive and participatory works, both in the space and in the surrounding community, break down many of the “taken for granted” aspects of how art is presented, how art is made and how the public/audience can relate to an exhibition.

Some works will endure for the time the space is open (Maria Jose Arjona’s performance is designed around the duration of the exhibition) while others will last only a few hours (Itziar Barrio). The division between artist and audience is questioned in several works including Marinella Senatore’s film, Variations or paperJams, installation, Under Construction. The public becomes curator in Ed Purver’s “Dropspots” as decisions are made on what objects to leave for the next viewer/participant to find.

Multi-media works and participatory projects by various artists will engage the public in several locations.

The project is made possible by Edison Properties. The exhibition and accompanying programming were organized in collaboration with The New Museum, Travel Goat, Impossible Music Sessions, and the many artists. This exhibition is part of the New Museum’s Festival of Ideas for the New City and Art in Empty Spaces Initiative.