Exhibitions
Art, migration and mutual support in the Red Canary Song proposal
MoMA PS1 presents Touch the Heart , a project by the New York-based collective Red Canary Song that transforms the exhibition space into a place of encounter, memory, and shared care. The installation is part of Greater New York 2026 , the major exhibition dedicated to artists and collectives living and working in the New York area, and offers a reflection on the community networks that support migrants from the perspective of the Asian diaspora.
The title of the work translates into English the Cantonese expression that gives dim sum its name, a reference that articulates the entire concept. Through four tables of this traditional gastronomic gathering, the installation explores different narratives related to migration, body care and desire, grief and nostalgia, as well as the transmission of cultural heritage. More than just a backdrop, these tables represent the everyday spaces where connections are forged, experiences are shared, and forms of mutual support are generated.
The exhibition also includes a series of portraits dedicated to deceased workers, conceived as an exercise in collective memory, along with still lifes by artist Augustina Wang, which document the personal belongings of those who remain part of the community. These pieces transform everyday memories and possessions into testaments to resilience and permanence.
Founded in 2017 following the death of Yang Song, a Chinese migrant massage worker killed during a police raid in Queens, Red Canary Song is a grassroots collective led by migrant massage and sex workers from the Asian diaspora. Since then, the organization has developed a broad mutual support network offering food aid, financial assistance, translation services, legal guidance, and access to healthcare focused on those directly affected.
The collective's practice also positions food and tea as tools for community organizing. These daily gatherings bring together the exchange of resources for harm reduction, crisis management, informal conversations, and even karaoke, shaping a form of resistance based on shared care. Touch the Heart brings this experience to the museum and proposes the possibility of imagining spaces of refuge built on solidarity and community.
The installation can be visited from March 19 to August 17, 2026, at MoMA PS1, as part of Greater New York 2026 , the sixth edition of the museum's landmark exhibition dedicated to contemporary art in New York. The show brings together 53 artists and collectives and presents more than 150 works, including site-specific installations, new productions, performances, and recent pieces that occupy the entire building.
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