Elephant Magazine is on the ground and in motion—seeking, forging, and exploring—at the opening of Sky High Farm’s inaugural Biennial.
This summer, Sky High Farm marks a bold new chapter with the launch of its first-ever biennial, TREES NEVER END AND HOUSES NEVER END. Set against the sweeping backdrop of the Hudson River in Germantown, New York, the site-specific exhibition opened June 28 inside a historic apple cold storage warehouse and will remain on view through Fall 2025. But this isn’t your typical art world affair—it’s an invitation into a living, breathing landscape where creative and agricultural practices meet in full view.
The exhibition brings together more than 50 artists from around the globe—Anne Imhof, Nan Goldin, Tschabalala Self, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and the late Felix Gonzalez-Torres among them—alongside rising voices and longtime collaborators. Installations, performances, and community programming engage with the very terrain they occupy, reflecting on the interconnected histories of the Hudson River Valley and its link to New York City through the lenses of ecology, industry, and cultural memory.
Elephant Magazine’s correspondents were on the ground (and yes, shoes off) at the opening, joining artists, curators, and guests as they explored the site—jumping from rock to rock, mirrored floors, and sprawling fields to encounter work that feels as alive and uncontained as the land itself.
This biennial coincides with Sky High Farm’s expansion onto a 560-acre property—an evolution that mirrors its growing commitment to addressing systemic issues around food access, education, and climate justice. Founded on the belief that farming can be both a social and creative act, Sky High moves beyond a single-issue approach. Instead, it operates at the intersection of nutrition, economic disparity, and historical inequity, working to reimagine models for community care and sustainability.
Artists participating in TREES NEVER END AND HOUSES NEVER END have pledged to donate a portion of any sales to support the farm’s nonprofit mission. The exhibition is less a showcase of artworks and more a living experiment in collaboration—between artists, farmers, organizers, and neighbors.
It’s a place where the art doesn’t hang politely on white walls but grows outward, takes root, gets dusty, and demands presence. The biennial reminds us that art can be a tool, a witness, a provocation—and when done right, a form of nourishment.
You can watch Elephant’s coverage for our series Hudson River School below.
