CJ Hendry turns Pastel into a participatory exhibition at Salon 94 Design
CJ Hendry brings Pastel, an experiential installation and exhibition, to Salon 94 Design in New York from August 6 to 16, 2026. Created in collaboration with the gallery, Pastel places audience participation at the centre of the project through a large-scale bead installation connected to Hendry’s recognisable visual language. The exhibition marks her first presentation with Salon 94 Design and introduces her independent practice to a more traditional gallery setting without losing the direct relationship she has built with her audience.
At the centre of Pastel is a vast pit filled with pastel-coloured beads. Visitors are invited to search through the installation, selecting individual pieces that can be assembled into bracelets, necklaces or charms. The beads feature motifs drawn from Hendry’s existing universe, including Juju, Balloon Dog, flowers and smiley faces. What begins as a sculptural environment gradually becomes a collective activity, with the physical installation changing continuously as people enter, handle its contents and create objects to take away with them.
The project extends Hendry’s long-standing interest in experiences that move beyond looking alone. Her work has frequently taken the form of large-scale installations and temporary activations in which participation becomes part of the artwork’s structure. Here, the bead pit operates simultaneously as sculpture, material archive and social space. Its soft colour palette and accumulation of small components create an immediate visual impact, while the act of choosing and assembling turns every visitor into an active participant in the exhibition.
Alongside the installation, Salon 94 Design presents drawings and editions featuring imagery associated with Hendry’s practice. A selection of objects produced around her visual identity is also included, from caps and T-shirts to jewellery trunks, leather trays and acrylic keyrings. Their presence reflects the broader system Hendry has developed around her work, where drawing, objects, installations and direct releases circulate together. Pastel makes that structure visible inside the gallery, placing accessible objects alongside artworks without separating the two into rigid categories.
Hendry has spent more than a decade building an audience independently through ambitious public-facing projects and direct communication. Her installations have attracted visitors far beyond conventional gallery audiences, supported by an online following that exceeds one million people. The collaboration with Salon 94 Design developed after art market researcher and Yale lecturer Magnus Resch introduced Hendry to gallery founder Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn. Their partnership brings together Hendry’s self-directed approach and a gallery known for working across contemporary art, design and collectible objects.
Pastel therefore carries a significance beyond its playful surface. The exhibition tests how an artist with an established independent platform can enter the gallery system while maintaining control over audience, accessibility and experience. CJ Hendry describes the project as a bridge between the world she has built and a traditional gallery context, while Greenberg Rohatyn points to her ability to create value and connect with people across established boundaries. At Salon 94 Design, that dialogue becomes physical: visitors do not simply encounter the work, but search through it, handle it and leave carrying a small fragment of the exhibition with them.
Photography by Alexis Salas, shared with permission
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