Octopus & Others: Acts of Collaboration & Poetics

Papo Colo's landmark 1982 participatory sculpture project returns, anchored by newly acquired panels and expanded with cross-generational artist and poet collaborations exploring the book form.

Why go

The exhibition centers on Octopus: An Act of Sculpture (1982), an accordion-style outdoor book made of eight-by-four-foot plywood panels created collaboratively by artists and poets from NYC's uptown and downtown scenes—including Vito Acconci, Tehching Hsieh, Juan Sánchez, Nicholasa Mohr, and Pedro Pietri. Colo's recent gift of several panels to El

What to expect

Collection works, archival materials, and select loans examining how artists have embraced and reconsidered the book form in response to shared social, political, and environmental concerns. The exhibition traces the collaborative ethos of the original Octopus project and its role within New York's alternative cultural network of the early 1980s.

Things to know

• Octopus: An Act of Sculpture was first staged in El Museo's courtyard in 1982 as an accordion-style outdoor book.
• Participants included Vito Acconci, Tehching Hsieh, Juan Sánchez, Nicholasa Mohr, and Pedro Pietri, among others.
• Papo Colo is an artist, poet, and co-founder of Exit Art.
• The exhibition is curated by El Museo del Barrio's Assistant Curator, Zuna Maza.
• Several panels from the original Octopus project were recently gifted to El Museo's Permanent Collection by Colo.
• The show runs August 6 – November 15, 2026.

Plan your visit

Las Galerías are open Thursday through Sunday, 11am–5pm. Closed Monday through Wednesday. Visit the museum's Plan Your Visit page for ticket information, accessibility details, and location.