8 performance and time-based art shows are on view across NYC galleries and project spaces this May. Single-channel video, multi-channel installation, sound, film, performance documentation, and live works — concentrated in downtown Manhattan and Chelsea.
Below: the full list — title, artist, gallery, neighborhood, and end date — with practical notes on what to expect, including how much time to allow for video work.
1. Spring Accrochage at Nicole Klagsbrun
Spring Accrochage at Nicole Klagsbrun, Chelsea. Through May 23, 2026.
Spring Accrochage is at Nicole Klagsbrun, 526 W 26th St, Room 318, Chelsea, on view Mar 9 – May 23, 2026. Devendra Banhart (Houston, Texas, 1981) is an internationally renowned musician considered a pioneer of the "freak folk" and "New Weird America" movements. His musical work exists symbiotically alongside his visual practice; both manifest as immediate, uncensored notations from his imagination.
2. Einstein Chairs by Robert Wilson at Paula Cooper
Robert Wilson, Einstein Chairs at Paula Cooper, Chelsea. Through May 24, 2026.
Einstein Chairs is at Paula Cooper, 529 W 21st St, Chelsea, on view May 13 – May 24, 2026. In honor of Robert Wilson and the 50th anniversary of his opera Einstein on the Beach, a trio of sculptures by the artist are on view in the gallery's vitrine space. Einstein on the Beach was first performed at Festival d'Avignon in July 1976.
3. Paris in My Head by Claudia Baez at Bookstein Projects
Claudia Baez, Paris in My Head at Bookstein Projects, Upper East Side. Through May 30, 2026.
Paris in My Head is at Bookstein Projects, 39 East 78th Street, Upper East Side, on view Apr 23 – May 30, 2026. Bookstein Projects is pleased to present an exhibition of paintings by Claudia Doring Baez. This is the artist's first solo show with the gallery. Claudia Doring Baez’s paintings are animated by a deep reverence for art history and literature, rendered through a contemporary, expressionistic lens.
4. Nuclear Eden by Harrison Haft at Collective Z Gallery
Harrison Haft, Nuclear Eden at Collective Z Gallery, Lower East Side. Through May 31, 2026.
Nuclear Eden is at Collective Z Gallery, 325 Broome St, Lower East Side, on view May 6 – May 31, 2026. Collective Z is pleased to present Nuclear Eden, the first New York solo exhibition of painter and filmmaker Harrison Haft. The exhibition envisions an irradiated paradise — an after-state in which inherited beliefs collapse and recombine rather than vanish.
Phantasma is at Plato, 202 Bowery, Nolita, on view Mar 12 – May 31, 2026. Alex Sutcliffe, Alic Brock, Darina Karpov, Henry Hung Chang, Jamie Adams, Vickie Vainionpää Plato is elated to present Phantasma, a group exhibition exploring imagination, dreams, and illusion in contemporary painting. Since time immemorial, great thinkers have debated the nature of imagination.
Plan twenty to thirty minutes; most NYC galleries are closed Mondays. Check the gallery's posted hours before you go.
6. Soil by Lindsay Adams at Sean Kelly
Lindsay Adams, Soil at Sean Kelly, Hell's Kitchen. Through May 31, 2026.
Soil is at Sean Kelly, 475 10th Ave, Hell's Kitchen, on view Apr 16 – May 31, 2026. Sean Kelly is delighted to present Soil, Lindsay Adams's second exhibition with the gallery and her New York solo debut. This new body of work delves into Adams's ongoing investigation into how paintings can emerge from a black ground, using darkness, not as absence, but as a generative foundation from which color, gesture, and form unfold. "The sounds of color echo in my dr.
7. Race With the Other Side by Damon Packard & Kevin Kemter at Rumpelstiltskin
Damon Packard & Kevin Kemter, Race With the Other Side at Rumpelstiltskin, Midtown. Through May 31, 2026.
Race With the Other Side is at Rumpelstiltskin, 34 W 27th St, #302, Midtown, on view Apr 17 – May 31, 2026. Rumpelstiltskin is thrilled to present Race with the other side, featuring an installation made onsite by Kevin Kemter and a selection of recent videos by Damon Packard. At the supermarket there are photo pickup shelves. People write their names down when they drop off their film and I always look inside the envelopes with interesting handwriting.
8. Bellmer Nauman Pondick: Material Desire by Hans Bellmer at Nunu Fine Art
Hans Bellmer, Bellmer Nauman Pondick: Material Desire at Nunu Fine Art, Little Italy. Through May 31, 2026.
Bellmer Nauman Pondick: Material Desire is at Nunu Fine Art, 381 Broome St, Little Italy, on view Mar 6 – May 31, 2026. Hans Bellmer Bruce Nauman Rona Pondick Nunu Fine Art, New York is pleased to present the exhibition Bellmer Nauman Pondick: Material Desire, which brings together three artists—Hans Bellmer, Bruce Nauman, and Rona Pondick—separated by generations and geographies, yet united by their engagement with the human body as material, and subject, and as a tool for experimentatio.
Plan twenty to thirty minutes; most NYC galleries are closed Mondays. Check the gallery's posted hours before you go.
How to plan a walk
Video and time-based work need time — a single-channel work might be a 12-minute loop, a multi-channel installation could run 45 minutes. Don't try to see five video shows in one afternoon. Cluster two downtown (F to East Broadway and 1 to Franklin) or two in Chelsea (C/E to 23rd) and give yourself the room to sit with the work.
How much time should I allow for a video or performance show?
Check the running time before you go. A single-channel video can be eight minutes or ninety; a multi-channel installation might layer three or four videos that loop together. Galleries usually post running times near the entrance.
Are there scheduled performances at NYC galleries?
Some galleries program live performances on weekends or evenings. Check the gallery's website and calendar — performances are usually free but sometimes require RSVP.
Where do I sit during a video show?
Most NYC galleries provide benches or low platforms; if not, the floor is fine. The work is meant to be watched, not glanced at.
Can I photograph inside a video installation?
Usually not, especially with flash. The light from your phone screen also disrupts other viewers — keep your phone in your pocket while inside the projection room.
