Shantell Martin’s Know Self (2026), a new site-specific elevator installation at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, transforms an everyday journey into an encounter with drawing.

The commission reflects Martin’s longstanding fascination with elevators as spaces between destinations. Places of temporary proximity and shared stillness, they bring strangers together, or offer a brief moment alone. 

“Elevators have long fascinated me. They are spaces between: between where we’ve come from and where we’re going. For a brief moment, we share a small room with strangers, or find ourselves alone, suspended between destinations,” says Martin.

The commission marks Martin’s return to Virginia MOCA following her inclusion in Seamless: Art and Design, one of the inaugural exhibitions in the museum’s new building in spring 2026. The mural was installed by Cut Cut Creative.