You Don’t Need a SFMOMA Ticket to See Sarah Sze’s New Immersive Installation

If you pass SFMOMA often but do not always feel like committing half a day to a full museum visit, November brings a very easy reason to step inside. Beginning November 21, 2026, artist Sarah Sze’s large-scale installation Forever is Composed of Nows will open in the museum’s Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Atrium, a ground-floor space that is free to the public.

This is not a traditional exhibition where you walk into a gallery and look at a series of works hanging on the wall. Sze’s installation combines monumental paintings, moving-image projections, sound, light, and architecture, turning the atrium itself into part of the artwork. For visitors who sometimes find contemporary art intimidating, that may actually make this one easier to approach. You do not need to know the artist’s background or understand the theory before walking in. You can simply enter the space and see how it feels.

This Is Not Just a Painting — It Is a Space You Move Through

Forever is Composed of Nows is one of Sarah Sze’s most ambitious large-scale commissions to date. The installation unfolds throughout SFMOMA’s atrium and includes three monumental paintings, continuously changing projections, and a layered sound environment. Rather than staying confined to a single wall, the work spreads through the architecture, changing the way visitors experience the museum’s entrance.

Two of the most striking elements are the enormous painted surfaces positioned around the central staircase. Measuring roughly 27 feet high, they combine painting, photography, and projected imagery in a way that makes it difficult to separate one medium from another.

That blurring of categories is central to Sze’s work. She is known for moving between sculpture, painting, photography, video, and architecture, often encouraging viewers to walk around, look up, step closer, and then reconsider the same work from another angle.

This is not the kind of piece you can fully understand from one front-facing photo. Where you stand changes what you see.

Why Are There Moving Images, Light, and Sound Everywhere?

The installation explores several big ideas through very physical materials: time, memory, nature, and the endless stream of images that shape modern life.

Most people now encounter hundreds of photos, videos, screens, and visual fragments every day. One image appears, disappears, and is immediately replaced by another. Sze has long been interested in that condition, especially the tension between permanent objects and constantly changing digital imagery.

The title Forever is Composed of Nows comes from a line by 19th-century American poet Emily Dickinson. The phrase suggests that what we think of as something permanent is actually made up of countless temporary moments.

That idea runs through the installation. Projections shift, light moves, sounds change, and images never stay exactly the same. The work keeps reminding viewers that the present moment is already disappearing as they experience it.

SFMOMA’s Architecture Becomes Part of the Artwork

One reason this commission is especially interesting is that it was created specifically for SFMOMA’s atrium. The building is not simply a container for the artwork; its height, staircases, walls, sightlines, and natural light all become part of the experience.

The atrium is a tall vertical space that naturally draws your eyes upward. Sze uses that architecture to extend imagery above the usual viewing level, creating moments where the ceiling and upper portions of the building begin to feel almost cinematic.

As you move through the first floor or use nearby stairs and elevators, the installation keeps changing around you. There is no single “correct” place to stand and no required order for viewing it.

That makes the experience more personal. One visitor may notice the paintings first, another may focus on the projected light, and someone else may be drawn immediately to the sound.

Accessibility Is Built Into the Work

Another thoughtful aspect of the installation is that accessibility was considered as part of the creative process rather than added after the fact.

Elements connected to Emily Dickinson’s text appear in tactile forms around the space, while the moving-image component also incorporates American Sign Language. The work uses visual, auditory, and tactile experiences to create more than one way for audiences to engage with it.

That is especially meaningful for an installation described as immersive. Instead of defining immersion only as large projections and dramatic lighting, the project considers how different visitors physically encounter the space.

It makes the work feel less like something designed for one ideal viewer and more like a public environment meant to be experienced in multiple ways.

Who Is Sarah Sze, and Why Is This Commission a Big Deal?

Sarah Sze, born in 1969, is one of the most prominent American contemporary artists working across installation, sculpture, painting, photography, and video. Her work is often difficult to place into one category because she deliberately combines different forms and materials within a single environment.

She has presented major projects at institutions including the Guggenheim Museum, Storm King Art Center, Fondation Cartier, and MOCA Toronto, and her work is held in major public collections including Tate, MoMA, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. She was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2003.

SFMOMA also has a long history with Sze. The museum previously commissioned her work Things Fall Apart in 2001, which later entered its permanent collection. Forever is Composed of Nows takes that relationship to a much larger scale by placing her work in one of the museum’s most visible public spaces.

For visitors who have never encountered her art before, this may be one of the easiest introductions because you do not need to purchase a ticket or navigate a separate exhibition gallery.

The Best Part: You Can Really See It for Free

For many visitors, this is the most practical reason to add the installation to a downtown San Francisco day.

Forever is Composed of Nows is located in the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Atrium on SFMOMA’s first floor, which is part of the museum’s free public area. If this is the only artwork you want to see, you do not need to buy general admission.

That makes it easy to visit casually. You can stop by while spending time at Yerba Buena Gardens, after lunch downtown, or while visiting nearby museums and shops. There is no need to turn it into an all-day museum trip unless you want to.

If the installation makes you curious about what else is happening inside SFMOMA, you can always decide afterward whether to continue upstairs.

It Works Well as Part of a Half-Day Art Walk

SFMOMA’s location makes this installation easy to combine with other nearby stops. Yerba Buena Gardens is just outside, while the Museum of the African Diaspora is only a short walk away. Cafés, restaurants, and downtown shopping are also nearby, so it is easy to build a relaxed afternoon around the visit.

One simple route is to start with a walk through Yerba Buena Gardens, step into SFMOMA to see Sze’s installation, and then continue to another nearby museum or café. That gives the day a cultural focus without turning it into a museum marathon.

If you already visited SFMOMA recently for another exhibition, this is also a reason to return without repeating the same experience. A collection-focused show and an immersive architectural installation create completely different kinds of visits.

Daytime and Evening May Feel Very Different

Because the work relies heavily on light, projection, and moving images, the time of day may change how it feels.

During daylight hours, natural light can make the paintings, materials, and architecture more visible. Later in the afternoon, as outside light begins to fade, the projections and moving images may become more prominent and the overall space can feel more atmospheric.

If your priority is photography and architectural detail, daytime may be easier. If you are more interested in the projected imagery and immersive effect, late afternoon could offer a different experience.

There may not be one perfect time to go, though. Since the work itself is about time and change, seeing it under different lighting conditions is part of what makes it interesting.

Exhibition: Sarah Sze: Forever is Composed of Nows

Opening Date: November 21, 2026

Location: SFMOMA, Floor 1, Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Atrium

Address: 151 Third Street, San Francisco

Admission: Free to view in the ground-floor public area

Format: Monumental painting, moving image, projection, sound, and immersive installation

You Do Not Have to “Understand” Contemporary Art Before You Walk In

A lot of people approach contemporary art with the feeling that they are supposed to already know the artist, understand the references, and figure out what the work “means” before deciding whether they like it.

This installation offers a good reason to ignore that pressure. You do not need to know Emily Dickinson, you do not need to know Sarah Sze’s previous work, and you do not need to explain every projection or sound. You can simply walk in, notice how the light changes the walls, listen to where the sound is coming from, and see how the experience shifts as you move through the space.

Because it is located in SFMOMA’s free public area, there is not even the pressure of feeling like you need to spend hours inside because you bought a ticket.

Starting November 21, if you happen to be in downtown San Francisco, it is worth giving yourself a little extra time to step into the atrium. You may stay for 20 minutes or you may end up lingering much longer.

Sometimes the best way to experience art is not to ask what it means first, but simply to notice whether it makes you stop.