This season’s schedule is a bit lighter than years past, with the cancellation of both the Moving Image New York and the short-lived CONCEPTION ART FAIR, and with Collective Design following in NADA’s footsteps by moving to Armory Week. SPRING/BREAK and Asia Week have opted out of events during Frieze Week, having wrapped up their presentations in March; also missing is Portal, from the organizers of the Governors Island Art Fair.
Nevertheless, there’s still plenty of art-fair action to keep art lovers busy this week. Frieze anchors the festivities with a revamped layout and a host of new programs, including Live (featuring artists Alfredo Jaar, Lara Schnitger, and Hank Willis Thomas, among others) and a new special themed section curated by Matthew Higgs (of White Columns NY) in homage to Hudson, the visionary art dealer who ran Feature Inc. gallery from the 1980s to his death in 2014.
Here’s a complete guide to what to expect at Frieze, TEFAF, and the many satellite fairs.
FRIEZE NEW YORK
May 2–6, Randalls Island
Frieze New York. Courtesy Frieze New York.
WHAT: The landmark fair of New York’s spring art-going season will pitch open its white tent for its seventh edition on Randall’s Island. In addition to the 190 participating exhibitors, it also offers its trademark Frieze Talks series, this year featuring big names from the literary circuit like Fred Moten, whose much-debated text “The Undercommons” inspired many themes in the New Museum’s Triennial. The Spotlight section, meanwhile, aims to revisit artists who were marginalized or overlooked in history. Booths to seek out in the big tent include Ryan Lee’s presentation of Emma Amos, a pioneering artist who depicted African American life in the 1960s, and, from LA’s Royale Projects, a recently discovered trove of works by the abstract artist Clinton Hill, right on the heels of his career retrospective at the University of Georgia’s Georgia Museum of Art.
WHEN: May 2 & 3, VIP only: Wednesday preview, 10 a.m.–7 p.m.; Thursday preview, 11 a.m.–8 p.m.; Public hours: Friday, 11 a.m.–7 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. $48 general admission.
WHERE: Randall’s Island
ART NEW YORK
May 2–6, Pier 94
Art New York at Pier 94. Courtesy of Art New York.
WHAT: Once again, the team behind Art Miami is staging its New York edition in time for Frieze Week. Art New York will be at Pier 94, this time folding in CONTEXT, the fair dedicated to emerging artists, as a component of the main event. Unlike Frieze or TEFAF, this fair is less interested in courting the same small group of VIPs, so aspiring collectors have more opportunity to ask questions of gallerists and spend quality time with their wares.
WHEN: Thursday, preview 2 p.m.–5 p.m., opening 5 p.m.–8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 12–8 p.m.; Sunday, 12–6 p.m.; $25 general admission, $55 multiday pass.
WHERE: Pier 94, 12th Avenue at 55th Street
TEFAF NEW YORK SPRING
May 3–8, Park Avenue Armory
TEFAF New York Spring 2017. Courtesy Tom Postma Design. Photo by Mark Niedermann.
WHAT: The swanky uptown cohort should look forward to the second edition of TEFAF’s New York spring fair, this year featuring 90 galleries specializing in both fine art and design, with 24 newcomers joining the ranks. Many blue-chip names are bandied about, with a definite European flair: From Austria, the gallery Wienerroither & Kohlbacher will have a presentation of Klimt and Schiele to mark the centenary of both artists’ deaths (and continuing the hype around their international exhibitions). Also on tap for the week will be the presentation of the first new-look TEFAF market report, presented by ArtTactic’s Anders Petterson.
WHEN: Thursday–Saturday and Monday, 12 p.m.–8 p.m. (VIP only on Thursday); Sunday & Tuesday, 12 p.m.–6 p.m.; daily VIP hour, 11 a.m.–12 p.m.; $55 general admission, $75 multi-entry pass.
WHERE: Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Avenue
1-54 CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN ART FAIR
May 3–6, Pioneer Works
Ralph Ziman, SPOEK 1 at Iziko National Gallery, Cape Town (2016). Photo courtesy Sulger-Buel Lovell.
WHAT: For the fair’s fourth edition, 21 artists who live in Africa or are of African descent will exhibit at Brooklyn’s Pioneer Works. Curator Omar Berrada has organized this year’s 1-54 Forum talks program, which will include appearances by visual and performance artists Lyle Ashton Harris, Phoebe Boswell, and Derrick Adams.
WHEN: Thursday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., press and VIP preview; Friday & Saturday, 12 p.m.–8 p.m.; Sunday, 12 p.m.–6 p.m. $20 general admission.
WHERE: Pioneer Works, 159 Pioneer Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn
ART & ANTIQUES FAIR
May 3–6, New York Botanical Garden
New York Botanical Garden’s Garden Art & Antiques Fair, Photo by Ben Hider.
WHAT: Now that spring is finally in full force, visitors to the New York Botanical Garden can take advantage of the week-long fair and the lush surrounding gardens. Booths with garden art, decorative antiques, and all manner of rare and exotic flowers promise to reward visitors in search of the grotto-esque.
WHEN: Thursday, 6 p.m.–8 p.m. preview party; May 5–6, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Free with admission to the garden, $23 weekdays, $28 weekends.
WHERE: New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx
SUPERFINE! THE FAIREST FAIR
May 2–6, the Milk Building
The entrance to the Superfine Art Fair in New York.
WHAT: The art-world antidote to “the bloated, over-sized art fair model” of the more traditional events. The brains behind Superfine! are looking to lure younger patrons thinking about dipping their toes into the collecting arena but unsure how to begin. Weekend events include a sake-sampling hour with a live demonstration, a female arts summit hosted by the city’s female-focused art groups, and a jazz performance.
WHAT: Wednesday 9 p.m.–12 a.m., twilight vernissage; Thursday–Saturday, 4 p.m.–7 p.m.; Sunday, 4 p.m.–8 p.m.; $12 general admission; $25 multiday pass.
WHERE: The Milk Building, 459 West 14th Street
FRIDGE
May 2–6, Nu Hotel
Works by Eric Ginsburg, the founder of Fridge. © Eric Ginsburg 2018.
WHAT: For every outing, Fridge comes up with a fun pop-culture reference as its guiding theme. This year, following the awards season success of I, Tonya, it’s “Tonya’s Tasty Triple Axel Icebox Cake.” Plus, there’s a David Bowie tribute featuring “Ziggy’s Stardust Powdered Donuts” to riff on the Brooklyn Museum’s current show.
WHEN: Wednesday, 5 p.m.–5 p.m., VIP Preview, 5 p.m.–9 p.m., All Star Celebrities on Ice Gala; Thursday–Saturday, 1 p.m.–9 p.m.; Sunday, 12 p.m.–5 p.m; $15 general admission.
WHERE: Nu Hotel, 85 Smith Street, Brooklyn
SALON ZÜRCHER
April 30–May 6, Galerie Zürcher
Beth Reisman, After All (2017). Courtesy of Norte Maar.
WHAT: The 20th edition of Galerie Zürcher’s mini-fair on the Lower East Side will bring together six galleries from New York, Paris, and Brussels. Catch work by artists including Judith Dolnick, Alexis Poliakoff, Robin Kang, and Reid Masselink.
WHEN: Monday 5 p.m.–8 p.m.; Tuesday–Saturday 12 p.m.–8 p.m., Sunday 12:00 p.m.–5 p.m., closing party until 7:00 p.m.; Free.
WHERE: Galerie Zürcher, 33 Bleecker Street
MONIKER INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR
May 3–6, Greenpoint Terminal Warehouse
Moniker International Art Fair. Photo courtesy of Moniker International Art Fair.
WHAT: Founded in London in 2010, the street art-focused Moniker is making its New York debut with 27 galleries. It aims to serve as a counterpoint to “the familiar grind of the art fair season with a curated, experiential and immersive focus,” with programming including a discussion about the late, lamented 5Pointz graffiti mecca, illegally destroyed by developers, and a screening of the feature-length documentary film Street Heroines, about women graffiti artists.
WHEN: Thursday, 3 p.m.–10 p.m., VIP preview and private view; Friday, 12 p.m.–10 p.m.; Saturday, 12 p.m.–8 p.m.; Sunday, 12 p.m.–6 p.m.; $15 general admission.
WHERE: Greenpoint Terminal Warehouse, 73 West Street, Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Work at the Other Art Fair. Photo courtesy of the Other Art Fair.
THE OTHER ART FAIR
May 3–6, Brooklyn Expo Center
WHAT: Online art gallery Saatchi Art hold the third New York edition of its fair for emerging artists, which now takes place in London, Bristol, Sydney, Melbourne, Brooklyn, and Los Angeles. Selected by a panel of experts, the exhibiting artists hail from cities across the world and create work in a wide range of mediums.
WHEN: Thursday, 6 p.m.–10 p.m., private view; Friday, 3 p.m.–10 p.m.; Saturday, 12 p.m.–9 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. $15 general admission, $30 run-of-show.
WHERE: Brooklyn Expo Center, 72 Noble Street, Brooklyn
CULTURAL TRAFFIC PRINT PUBLISHING ARTS FAIR
May 6, Hester Street Fair
Cultural Traffic in Long Beach, California. Photo courtesy of Cultural Traffic.
WHAT: Ahead of its 2018 outings in Detroit, London, Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Miami, Cultural Traffic will hold the second New York edition of its print and art-book fair. Over 50 exhibitors described by the fair as “artists, resistors, publishers, DIY culture makers, performers, outsiders, friends, and more” will present vintage books, ephemera, artwork, and pop-culture artifacts from independent and experimental publishers.
WHEN: 11 a.m.–8 p.m.; Free.
WHERE: Hester Street Fair, Essex Street