New Museum’s ‘New Humans’ Comeback Show Looks to the Future

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Summary

  • The New Museum in New York is set to open New Humans: Memories of the Future
  • Opening on March 21, the expansion’s inaugural showcase features over 700 that reimagine the relationship between humanity and technology

We live in a time fascinated by predictions made by algorithms, and increasingly aware of the power of machines. But with each new technological advancement, we keep returning to an age-old question that has challenged thinkers for centuries: what truly defines humanity?

The New Museum has announced the artists participating in its reopening show, New Humans: Memories of the Future, following the unveiling of its expansion designed by OMA. The exhibition, a perfect fit for the renovated building, features work by 230 artists, writers, scientists, architects, and filmmakers and examines our fascination with innovation in technology, nature, and spirituality.

The exhibition explores how ideas about the future and the human form have evolved – and sometimes looped back on themselves – from the unsettling visions of artists like H.R. Giger and Francis Bacon to the work of contemporary creators such as Cao Fei, Hito Steyerl, Lee Bul, and Meriem Bennani. It challenges the idea of steady advancement, presenting history as a series of jumps forward, steps back, and unexpected turns. The early 20th-century avant-garde’s focus on creating a “New Man” and “New Woman” foreshadows our current fascination with body modification, self-improvement, and digital identities. Throughout history, surrealist art has often depicted the human body as being under strain.

The future will belong to everyone, whether they fear or embrace new technology. The book New Humans argues that we’ve been preparing for a world where technology rivals human intelligence for over a century. Maybe the biggest change won’t be digital at all, but a long-held desire to fundamentally redefine what it means to be human.

I’m so excited for the opening of New Humans: Memories of the Future on March 21st! If you want to see who all is featured in the exhibit, you can find the complete list on the museum’s website.

New Museum
235 Bowery,
New York, NY 10002

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2026-02-14 14:28