[title]
From East Village grocery stores to iconic transit hubs to Lower Manhattan thoroughfares, New Yorkers are used to great art popping up in unexpected places—add vending machines to the list. Yes, Mystry Mart, "part gallery, part art installation and entirely a mystery" that dispenses blind-bagged original works by local emerging artists, bringing its interactive playfulness to colorful Coney Island for the summer.
Founded by Victoria Orlovskaya and Gene Bell, the vending machine-turned-art gallery has set up installations at the Brooklyn Museum, PowerHouse Arts and House of Yes over the years, with its latest edition located at Margarita Island off the Surf Avenue strip. The installation works with over 120 artists, with 20 revolving creatives featured at any given time per machine. Collectors can find anything from fine-art prints and paintings to ceramics—fun highlights include miniature paintings on MetroCards by artist Zhang Zheyi, and paintings on epoxied bread by artist BreadSlug.
RECOMMENDED: 10 NYC art exhibitions we’re most excited about in spring 2026
With prices ranging from $10 to $100, each piece is wrapped up blind bag-style, with a single QR code on each packaging. That digital portal gives more information on not only the work itself but the artists behind them, along with ways to support the local art community.
The Mystry Mart machines were "designed to spotlight and celebrate emerging creative talent in the most playful, unexpected way. It’s a space where artists, patrons, and iconic locations come together to build community, spark joy, and make art feel alive," per the official website. "We champion underrepresented and emerging artists by placing their work in cultural hubs like museums, busy public spaces, and places filled with energy and curiosity. At its heart, Mystry Mart exists to uplift artists, give them confidence, and create real opportunities for visibility, appreciation, and growth."
And the artist showcase has certainly grown in the years since Orlovskaya and Bell brought it to the city after being inspired during a trip to Las Vegas. "In the beginning we were DMing artists on Instagram hoping they would trust us enough to give us their artwork before we even had our machine or anything. We would find them through #nycart or #nycartist tags," Orlovskaya previously told Time Out. "We focused on people who had a unique original style, like Bread Slug who paints on bread and then incases it in resin... Now we have an artist application on our website and work freely with creatives who make art their passion.”