Boston Public Art Triennial
By Annabel Keenan
October 7, 2025
In today’s contemporary art landscape, with fairs, biennials, and triennials popping up (and shutting down) incessantly, the launch of a new event risks hefty skepticism and a fatigued public. Without a clear purpose or curatorial vision, these happenings can feel at best like a waste of time and at worst a waste of resources and (often) public funds. Despite these potential pitfalls, the inaugural edition of the Boston Public Art Triennial opened this spring, with 18 installations across the city and a robust schedule of programs. Ten years in the making, “The Exchange” (on view through October 31, 2025) offers a case study in impactful temporary public art that thoughtfully serves local communities while also warranting the attention of a broader audience.
Curated by Pedro Alonzo and Tess Lukey, “The Exchange” takes on the challenging task of bringing contemporary art to a city not often associated with the genre. While Boston has world-class museums, few specialize in or show contemporary art in depth, and there is a dearth of commercial galleries specializing in contemporary works. “The Exchange” aims to change that while engaging directly with the city’s emblematic position in American history and the complex legacy of colonization.
Nearby at MassArt Art Museum, Nicholas Galanin’s exhibition “Aáni yéi xat duwasáakw (I am called Land)” (on view through November 30, 2025) fills the cavernous space with an oversize ceremonial Tlingít box drum. Suspended from the ceiling, the drum is beaten by a robotic arm to the rhythm of a human heart, while the mechanical components whir like water, providing a soundscape for the silent projections of the ocean that fill the room. The steady repetition of the drum becomes meditative, with the visitor’s body rhythms adjusting to meet its pace—a physical manifestation of the work’s mission to showcase the interconnectedness of people, nature, and culture. A womb-like painting on the drum suggests rebirth, another reminder of the continued existence and future of Indigenous communities. Galanin combines these ideas with a critique of permanence in I think it goes like this (pick yourself up) (2025), a bronze sculpture cast from chopped-up imitation totems, which is installed in Evans Way Park.