Worldbuilding and constructing higher worlds — these are idealistic notions that may turn out to be indulgences within the artwork world. However, to paraphrase Hyperalleric’s Editor-in-Chief, Hrag Vartanian, in his overview of artist Saya Woolfalk’s present survey, when executed nicely, they are often highly effective. The entire artists under have endeavored to construct moral worlds and enhance our personal. Whereas Woolfalk’s futuristic installations and hybrid creatures toy with the idea of hyperreality, Umber Majeed merges the analog world of the previous with forward-facing applied sciences. However, Ben Shahn spent his profession collaborating and organizing with others to create a world that’s extra only for all, and for nearly half a century, Magali Lara has championed feminism and carved out an area for ladies in Mexico’s artwork world and past. —Natalie Haddad, Critiques Editor
Magali Lara: Stitched to the Physique
Institute for Research on Latin American Artwork, 142 Franklin Avenue, Tribeca, ManhattanThrough August 16
Magali Lara, “Y entonces escuché el fuego” (1990) (photograph Natalie Haddad/Hyperallergic)
“Lara’s sinuous trees, in sync with a mosaic of blue and indigo brushstrokes, are not overtaken by the elements but rather move with them; their roots and branches seemingly shape the world around them through sheer psychical force.” —NH
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Saya Woolfalk: Empathic Universe
Museum of Arts and Design, 2 Columbus Circle, Columbus Circle, ManhattanThrough September 7
Saya Woolfalk, “Utopia Conjuring Chamber, Greene County, New York, circa 2012” (2012) (photograph Hrag Vartanian/Hyperallergic)
“In her aesthetic universe, the artwork moves beyond realism to a more psychological state of being, and she mines pop culture and historical allusions at every turn.” —Hrag Vartanian
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Ben Shahn, On Nonconformity
Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Avenue, Higher East Facet, ManhattanThrough October 12
Ben Shahn, assisted by John Ormai, “Harvesting Wheat [study for the west wall of The Meaning of Social Security mural, Washington, DC]” (1941), buon fresco on wallboard (photograph Isabella Segalovich/Hyperallergic)
“If we are to learn from his work — as well we should — we must understand that ‘nonconformity’ is not, and cannot be, a solo venture.” —Isabella Segalovich
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Umber Majeed: J😊y Tech
Queens Museum, Flushing Meadows, Corona Park, QueensThrough January 18, 2026
Set up view of Umber Majeed, “WE CAN FIX IT” (2025), ceramic, decal, and wooden (photograph Lisa Yin Zhang/Hyperallergic)
“This one-room exhibition is one of the most technically inventive I’ve seen, and is a fresh and exciting excavation of the fertile physical/digital intersection between diasporic Asian and early internet aesthetics.” —Lisa Yin Zhang
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