Taryn Simon Recognized Among TIME's Most Influential People in Art
The artist is celebrated for her extensive career exploring unseen structures of power and will present her largest exhibition to date at the Guggenheim.
Artist Taryn Simon has been named one of TIME's 100 most influential people in art for 2026, acknowledging her significant contributions to the art world. Simon, 51, has built a career by directing her artistic focus toward the hidden aspects of society, from photographing contraband at JFK airport to documenting individuals who were wrongly convicted.
Her practice has evolved to incorporate video, text, and sculpture, allowing her to delve deeper into the invisible systems of power that shape individual lives and resonate across various cultures. Simon describes her exhaustive projects as requiring immense dedication to reach completion.
This September, Simon will unveil her largest exhibition to date at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. The show will feature artworks centered on the life of an unnamed federal agent. The distinctive spiral architecture of the Guggenheim serves as a fitting metaphor for Simon's career trajectory. After years of pursuing her diverse interests through investigations of government facilities, nuclear waste sites, wildlife sanctuaries, and other unconventional locations, Simon is being recognized at a career peak. Additionally, she is set to launch a large-scale public art project in Times Square next spring.