artist fills the new museum with 3,000 images of people posing with teddy bears

at the new museum, ‘the keeper’ is an exhibition devoted to the act of preserving and conserving objects, artworks, and images. focussing on the passions of those who collect, the show considers the impulse to save both precious and valueless goods, bringing together a range of personal mementos, private collections, and unusual assemblages. through these displays, ‘the keeper’ — curated by massimiliano gioni — reveals the dedication of the artists, collectors, scholars, and hoarders who have created almost sacred safe havens for their images and artifacts. 

all photos by maris hutchinson / EPW studio

at the core of the exhibition is artist ydessa hendeles’ ‘partners (the teddy bear project) (2002)’. the vast display comprises more than 3,000 family-album photographs of people posing with teddy bears, alongside display cases that contain antique stuffed animals. the installation adopts the toy as symbol for the consolatory and encouraging power of artworks, and highlights the relationship between people and their objects of affection.

the exhibition at the new museum tells the stories of individuals through the objects they chose to hold dear. on view from now through september 25, 2016, the unusual collections presented as part of ‘the keeper’ expose the range of motivations that inspired these artists to treasure both important and mundane objects with exceptional significance.