Tucked inside Industry City in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, The Brooklyn Pop is an immersive museum and art experience unlike anything else in New York City. The 11,000-square-foot space transforms 47 years of Brooklyn memorabilia, ephemera, art and pop-culture history into a walk-through love letter to the borough.
Created by Brooklyn-born artist Mr. Kaves, The Brooklyn Pop blends art, music, cinema, fashion, family history and nostalgia into an experience that feels part museum, part art installation and part memory palace. We asked Kaves what inspired the space, what visitors feel when they walk through it, and why this one-of-a-kind Brooklyn attraction could only exist here.
A Love Letter Built from 47 Years of Brooklyn
What inspired the creation of this space?
“I wanted to create an exhibit that celebrated Brooklyn’s enormous influence on popular culture, but through an artist’s lens. The Brooklyn Pop is an 11,000-square-foot love letter to the borough that raised me, built from 47 years of collecting Brooklyn memorabilia, ephemera and art.
I also wove my own family story throughout the exhibit, making it both a celebration of Brooklyn culture and a deeply personal story about the place I call home. The space itself became a living art installation and I wrote and directed an immersive play, A Brooklyn Dream, to bring that world to life and put everything into context. It became a place where art imitates life and life iumitates art and where the objects, the stories, the characters and my own memories all come together.”
What do guests usually react to most when they visit?
“The reaction is pretty incredible. People are often completely blown away and speechless. Some come to tears, others cheer, because The Brooklyn Pop feels like stepping into a time machine. It transports people back to a simpler time in Brooklyn and brings back memories they may not have thought about in years.
There’s a powerful sense of nostalgia, but it’s not only about looking backward. The exhibit celebrates Brooklyn’s past, present and future through art, music, cinema, fashion and popular culture. Everyone seems to find something they personally connect with. That’s what makes it so emotional. It’s my Brooklyn story, but somehow people walk away feeling like it’s part of their story too.”
What makes your museum feel especially “Brooklyn” or “only in NYC”?
“This is truly Brooklyn told by Brooklyn. I’m a born-and-raised Brooklyn artist and over the years I’ve worn a lot of hats, musician, artist, graffiti writer, tattooist, filmmaker and storyteller. Brooklyn is pretty much all I know. It’s more than a place to me, it’s been my life.
Brooklyn’s motto is “In Unity There Is Strength,” and I truly believe that. I wanted to build something that could tell my story while giving other people a place to recognize and tell theirs. At its heart, The Brooklyn Pop is a New York underdog story, a story about creativity, resilience, community and finding a way to make something out of nothing. To me, that spirit expresses the strength of Brooklyn. You could only build something like this in New York, but it could only come from Brooklyn.”
Plan your visit
- Where: Industry City, 220 36th St (Building 2), Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Enter at 254 36th Street and head to the 2nd floor.
- Hours: Generally 12–5pm; check the online ticketing calendar for exact dates and showtimes, since hours can vary.
- Tickets: Check it out with us on our Private Industry City Tour for the full experience.
Want to check it out on your own? Tix available online at thebrooklynpop.com, with group and school bookings available by request. - How long to plan: Most visitors spend 60–90 minutes exploring, self-guided and at your own pace.
- Good to know: The exhibit is indoor, mostly ADA accessible, and welcoming to all ages.
