A multi-channel animation that journeys through a complex choreography of ecological and social systems, The River is a Circle (Times Square Edition) by artists Marina Zurkow and James Schmitz depicts a split view of the Hudson River that spans centuries. Below the water, we encounter schools of fish, oyster reefs, maritime wreckage and divers; above the water, ships and barges move through colonial times and the ever-evolving Meatpacking District into an imagined future — speculating on circular systems and the potential for a cyclical flow towards more modest means of maintaining our environmental networks.

Co-presented by Times Square Arts, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and The Armory Show, Zurkow and Schmitz’s The River is a Circle (Times Square Edition) is a special edit of the longer piece titled The River is a Circle (2025), made in collaboration with Schmitz and Blake Goble, and on view at the Whitney through January 11, 2026 as the second Hyundai Terrace Commission. Part of Zurkow’s solo exhibition Parting Worlds, the large-scale animation is driven by algorithmic probability and real-time weather and marine traffic with a custom software system that continuously reflects New York City’s current meteorological conditions and seasons.