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There's no doubt that New York museums have paid attention to the way the Whitney Biennial receives instant press attention just for existing, so the temptation to do a competing contemporary art round-up is pretty strong. But you can't really use a bi-annual format, because, well, that's already been taken. So in 2000, MoMA PS 1 launched its first Quinquennial, aka "Greater New York," while in 2009, the New Museum of Contemporary Art kicked off its inaugural Triennial, aka "The Generational." While it's not at all clear that MoMA PS 1 while be doing what should be its fourth edition of GNY in 2015, The New Museum has just announced that it's going full steam ahead on its show, though they've dropped "The Generational" bit. The last, anyway, was meant to underscore the focus of the show (it mostly includes artists 30-ish or under), and may no longer be necessary, though the emphasis will be once again on youth, wasted as it is on the young.
RECOMMENDED: See more at the New Museum of Contemporary Art
Also the same will be the use of a thematic title (the first iteration's "Younger Than Jesus" certainly raised some hackles)—in this case, the not entirely comfortable sounding “Surround Audience.” The show, organized by NewMu curator Lauren Cornell and millennial superstar artist, Ryan Trecartin, will delve into a contemporary culture "mov[ing] through streams of chatter, swip[ing] past pictures of other people’s lives, and fram[ing] our own experiences as our digital trails are…captured, tracked and stored." Sounds like fun!
As in the past, the roster will be international and feature ever conceivable medium or combination thereof, and will included works commissioned for the show. There will also be projects off-site and even online.
Why go? Well it is the case that past Triennials have minted art stars, and that will likely be the case this year. So if you're interested in previewing some of the names who'll be showing up in big-league galleries in the next few years, this show is for you.