Since 2002, Flux Factory has produced four group exhibitions annually. Curated and produced by Flux Artists-in-Residence, each Exhibition commissions new art on a distinct theme. For Artists-in-Residence, leadership of a group exhibition is one of the most valuable opportunities that Flux offers, and group exhibitions are frequently the most ambitious programs that Flux Factory stages. Artworks are selected through public open calls and works are typically open to the public for one month. Typically between 8-20 artists participate in each exhibition and artists are typically compensated between $100-$600 for their work. One Group Exhibition each year is reserved for the Rhizome Project, a series uplifting black voices through public events, fellowships and organizational practice.
Current Group Exhibitions
2023
Ornaphonism
October 2023. Curated by Will Owen.
Ornaphonism is an international group art exhibition broadly exploring the relationship between sound, sculpture, and space held at Flux Factory’s house on Governors Island.
Dirty Signs
September 2023. Curated by Hey There Kapplow and Walker Tufts.
Dirty Signs is an exhibition of international artist responses to the idea of emojifying dirt. Dirty Time collected visitor suggestions for a potential dirt emoji through a “think tank” installation within the exhibition, and several participatory activities at Flux Factory’s house on Governor’s Island.
Artists Formerly Known As Prints
August-October 2023. Curated by Sarah Dahlinger and Cayla Lockwood.
The idea for this show began with a group of artists who at some point considered themselves to be printmakers. As their practices have evolved to include conceptually driven multi-faceted projects and access to facilities have come and gone their prints have often taken a back seat, tacked up in a corner or shoved away in a cardboard box. This exhibition embraced the playful discoveries inherent in the printmaking process and showcase prints that these artists might not typically prioritize. The exhibition took place at Flux Factory’s house on Governors Island.
Island Luminaria
August-September 2023. Curated by Sally Beauti Twin.
The Island Luminaria group art show was composed of art that emits light and art depicting luminescent bodies (sun, moon, stars). The show culminated in the Flaming Creature Crawl, a night time luminary parade. Lanterns depicting the flora, fauna and celestial bodies of Governors Island accompanied by quiet acoustic music. This exhibition and parade took place at Flux Factory’s house on Governors Island.
Feralpy
July-August 2023. Curated by Amelia Heintzelman and Jemila MacEwan.
Feralpy brought together the diverse practices of 40 artists through workshops, performances, film screenings, durational experiences and installations. This program unearths the myriad of ways that artists’ creative processes often serve as a therapeutic or healing practice for the artist, their community or society. This exhibition and events took place at Flux Factory’s house on Governors Island.
2022
Pink Flamingo: Clubs in Flux
July-August 2022. Curated by Jess Dilday (DJ PlayPlay) and Anton Lapov.
Three (very) temporary dream club spaces, a room full of nightclub archives, storytelling, workshops and more.
2021
Survival Tools for the Age of Ultra Anxiety
November 2021. Curated by the Jeju Island Collective.
This exhibition, hosted by Culture Lab at Plaxall Gallery, took as its premise the state of ultra-anxiety our culture is functioning within due to the pandemic and worldwide social and economic upheaval.
Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See
October 2021. Curated by Cameron Granger and Haiba Hamilton, as part of the Rhizome Project series.
Let’s think about the shared history of Black Folks in the same way poet Hanif Abdurraqib describes the Soul Train Line: A narrow, writhing, seemingly endless tunnel of Black Folks smiling and clapping.
Din Din
May 2021. Curated by Sarah Dahlinger, Nat Roe and Cayla Lockwood.
Din Din was a series of free, socially-distanced outdoor public events which use food and art to build community and took place in the neighboring Windmill Community Garden.
2020
Nobody’s Fashion Week
September 2020. Curated by Lexy Ho-Tai, Jaime Iglehart, Dew Igworia-Onwuka and Johanna Schwab.
Nobody’s Fashion Week aimed to democratize Fashion by encouraging multidisciplinary collaboration, skill-sharing culture, and self-expression for everyone.
where will I be buried*?
August 2020. Curated by Muse Dodd and Catherine Feliz
Featuring work from over 12 Queer and/or Trans, Black and Indigenous, People of Color (QTBIPOC), where will I be buried*? held space for artists and audiences from marginalized communities to center ourselves in our mourning, healing and transformations.
2019
Rub
December 2019. Curated by J Triangular.
RUB moved between two axes: the DIY strategies of the NOW-WAVE, and GRAPHIC ACTIVISM. The NOW-WAVE houses artists who produce counterculture that challenges the boundaries of Nationhood, and address issues that cross cultural boundaries.
Must They Also Be Gods
October 2019. Curated by Kalon Hayward.
Must They Also Be Gods was a group show that featured the work of over 15 emerging and mid-career Black artists that highlights the creative process of African diasporic peoples in connection with an insistent and inherent focus on beauty and spirituality.
Wicket Leeks
July 2019. Curated by Abdul Dube, Illesha Khandelwal and Will Owen.
Using the lenses of food and sports, Wicket Leeks showcased cooks, athletes, researchers, artists, coaches, and makers to help investigate the unsavory histories of nationalist, religious, and corporate colonialism in a palatable way, while not sugar-coating its effects, in order to help us better digest our present and cook up a healthier future.
TALK BACK
May 2019. Curated by Lexy Ho-Tai and moira williams.
TALK BACK centered the lives and leadership of disabled artists and organizers, asserting that deep-rooted cultural changes must be made within the art world to become more inclusive and accessible. TALK BACK believed that disability must be included in conversations about diversity. One part of affecting change in the art world is by placing disabled artists and organizers in positions of influence within the arts to effect change from within.
2018
Mark for Redaction
October 2018. Curated by Hilal Khalil and Razan Al-Salah
Mark for Redaction showcased multi-disciplinary forms of contemporary art from self-identified Kweer (queer), lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and/or gender non-conforming people who have ties to what is colloquially known al-‘ālam al-‘arabī (South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA)) and the respective diaspora.
Saunter Trek Escort Parade (S.T.E.P….)
September 2018. Curated by Christina Freeman, Emireth Herrera + moira williams.
S.T.E.P…. was an overlapping convergence and entanglement of walking, walk-based works and programming, mobilizing throughout New York. S.T.E.P… embraced the many ways and bodies we walk while asking how walking as a creative act can challenge notions and open conversations.
Wilder LIC
May 2018. Curated by Nat Roe and Lorissa Rinehart.
This exhibition took place at the new Windmill Community Garden and used electronic and mixed media to address themes of sustainability, both in terms of ecology and community.
Flux City VI
March 2018. Curated by Seth Larson and Abigail Entsminger.
Flux City 6 commissioned an artist group every week for 4 weeks to create a city (or their interpretation of city-ness). And each week, a separate artist group destroyed that city, to clear the way for the next participating group in a cycle of politics, ownership, creation and destruction.