Sound Art Takes Center Stage in Museums as Artists Turn to Audio
In contemporary museums, sound art is increasingly recognized, with significant institutions commissioning engaging audio installations. At the Whitney Museum of American Art, Sung Tieu's System's Void has been active for seven months, converting data from dangerous gases at fracking sites into sound vibrations. The upcoming 2026 Whitney Biennial, which Drew Sawyer and Marcela Guerrero are co-organizing, will showcase sound pieces including Oswaldo Maciá's Requiem for the Insects and Aki Onda's Ugnayan. Other venues are also embracing this trend, with Tarek Atoui at Tate Modern, Raven Chacon at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst at MoMA next year. Cevdet Erek's solo exhibition Americas is currently displayed at SculptureCenter until December 28. The adaptability and eco-friendliness of sound art make it appealing to museums.
Key facts
- Sung Tieu's sound installation System's Void has been on view at the Whitney Museum for seven months, translating fracking site gas data into vibrations.
- The 2026 Whitney Biennial, co-organized by Drew Sawyer and Marcela Guerrero, included sound works by Oswaldo Maciá and Aki Onda.
- Tarek Atoui will open a sound installation in Tate Modern's Turbine Hall this month.
- The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art will open a show of new work by Pulitzer Prize winner Raven Chacon.
- The Hamburger Bahnhof is presenting an exhibition on the late composer Ryuichi Sakamoto.
- Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst will debut an immersive AI audio environment at MoMA next year.
- Cevdet Erek's solo exhibition Americas is on view at SculptureCenter through December 28, 2026.
- JJJJJerome Ellis scored the 2024 Whitney Biennial with an installation of thank-you cards.
Entities
Artists
- Sung Tieu
- Drew Sawyer
- Marcela Guerrero
- Oswaldo Maciá
- Aki Onda
- José Maceda
- Tarek Atoui
- Raven Chacon
- Ryuichi Sakamoto
- Holly Herndon
- Mat Dryhurst
- Cevdet Erek
- Vito Acconci
- Barbara London
- JJJJJerome Ellis
- Carolyn Lazard
- Andy Slater
- Christine Sun Kim
- Shiro Takatani
Institutions
- Whitney Museum of American Art
- Tate Modern
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
- Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart
- MoMA
- SculptureCenter
- neugerriemschneider
- KAB Inc.
- The Estate of Ryuichi Sakamoto
- CULTURED
Locations
- New York
- United States
- San Francisco
- Berlin
- Germany
- Queens
- Turkey
- Virginia
- London
- United Kingdom