The Transit Museum honors a NYC icon, Ayoung Kim goes stargazing at MoMA PS1, a puppy persona performance, and more to plan your week in New York.
Lisa Yin Zhang
January 13, 2026
— 3 min read
That age-old existential question — "Add Value" or "Add Time"? — is dead. The ball drop in Times Square also marked the end of the MetroCard; we live in an OMNY world now. How I'll miss that lime-green student MetroCard, with which I swiped my way into all kinds of adolescent misadventures.
For all those feeling similarly sentimental — speaking as someone who, yes, once commuted on the V train — it's time for a visit to the New York Transit Museum. There, an exhibition puts the MetroCard to rest with an homage to its history, technology, and long collaboration with the arts.
Well. Ever upward, as our motto goes. Get that contactless card ready, because there's a ton to see and do in the art world this week — in particular, a tidal wave of gallery openings, accompanied by poetry readings, talks, and even an artist debuting their puppy performance persona. As always, there's as much to look forward to as there is to look back on.
SPONSORED
New York City Ballet Art Series Presents Thibaut Grevet
The French director and photographer’s work will be on view at three special performances in January and February.
Learn more
A MetroCard depicting Biggie Smalls (image courtesy New York Transit Museum)NYC’s Transit Museum Pays Homage to the MetroCard
Aaron Short writes on the exhibition FAREwell, MetroCard at the New York Transit Museum, which introduces visitors to the 32-year history of that New York City icon, including technological leaps and artistic collaboration. Read on to find out what in the world a "Caardvark" is.
From Our Critics
Film still from Ayoung Kim, "Delivery Dancer’s Arc: Inverse" (2024) (courtesy the artist and ACC)Min Park
Ayoung Kim: Delivery Dancer Codex at MoMA PS1
"Kim foregrounds how technology carves out spaces for splintered desires."
Read the full review
What Else Is Happening?
- Forget the groundhog — the New Museum will be marking spring for me. It finally has an official opening date: March 21.
- Heads up! Admission to MoMA PS1 is now completely free.
- Greenwood Cemetery is hosting its monthly Grieving & Weaving event tonight. (Tues Jan 13) [green-wood.com]
- Writer Mary Walling Blackburn will be in conversation with artist Paul Chan in celebration of the former's new book, Cream Psychosis. (Tues Jan 13) [e-flux.com]
- The artist Billy Childish will part of a poetry reading at Lehmann Maupin as part of his exhibition there. (Thurs Jan 15) [lehmannmaupin.com]
- Curators Kendal Henry and Sara Reisman will lead a talk with artists Ronen Gamil, Baseera Khan, Armita Raafat, and Justin Sterling as part of their exhibition at Materials for the Arts. (Thurs Jan 15) [materialsforthearts.com]
- The poet Bee will be performing as part of the opening celebration of Marguerite Humeau's exhibition at White Cube. (Thurs Jan 15) [whitecube.com]
- Aika Akhmetova will be performing as their new puppy persona as part of their exhibition at Below Grand. (Sat Jan 17) [instagram.com]
- Photodom is dropping a zine at the ACE Hotel in Brooklyn. There will be a DJ. (Sat Jan 17) [photodom.nyc]
- It's Saturday Sketch Club this weekend at the Brooklyn Museum, inspired by the Seydou Keïta exhibition. (Sat Jan 17) [brooklynmuseum.org]
- The Quran Mayor Zohran Mamdani used to swear in is now on view at the main branch of the New York Public Library. (Through Mar 19) [nypl.org]
