It’s finally May, which means the weather is warming up, spotted lantern flies are hatching in droves, and artists and gallery owners from around the world are lining up for the nine upcoming art fairs popping up during the next two weeks in Manhattan. To help alleviate the daunting dizziness of too many options, we’ve taken the liberty of creating a quick and easy pocket guide to navigating each salon and its offerings. To keep it simple, we’ve put everything in chronological order and added the dates and locations of nine premier and newbie art fairs for your convenience! Without further ado, we present to you the art fairs of this spring, classified by opening date.
SPRING/BREAK secret show
Wait a second…Spring/Break? Secret show? Yeah! Like a college student visiting his old playground out of nostalgia, Spring/Break returns to its original location at Nolita’s Old School for a “spontaneous living room iteration” highlighting new works by artists and curators. who have already exhibited there. According to co-founder Andrew Gori, this superlative effort should serve as “the first in a series of ‘Some Of The Best Of’ shows” looking back over Spring/Break’s 10+ year history. The surprise broadcast also marks the opening of the submission pool for Spring/Break’s Fall 2023 “Wild Card” event, inviting attendees to reflect on the final eleven themes with an updated focus.
SPRING/BREAK Art Show (springbreakartshow.com)
The Old School, 32 Prince Street, Nolita
May 10-20
Fair of the future
Future Fair is back at Chelsea Industrial for its third anniversary! This novice fair caused a sensation in the art world in 2021 for its cooperative-inspired business model that rewards founding galleries with 35% of shared profits in its first five years. Future also means transparency for everyone involved by providing budget reports and cost breakdowns so that exhibitors and partners can give feedback on what they would like to see prioritized in the future. The third edition of the fair includes 50 national and international exhibitors, including galleries from Peru, Norway and South Korea.
Fair of the future (www.futurefairs.com)
Chelsea Industrial, 535 West 28th Street, Chelsea
May 10-13
Independent Art Fair
Independent New York began in 2010 with an invitation-only model overseen by founding curator Matthew Higgs. Participating galleries and artists are meticulously curated, and the fair has a reputation for exhibiting more elegant work than you might expect to find at an exhibition largely focused on up-and-coming and up-and-coming artists. This year, the 14th edition of Independent New York features 120 artists in 74 galleries and nonprofit organizations on all four floors of the Spring Studios location in Tribeca. I’m personally excited to see Sophie Treppendahl’s “Still Life of Portraits” (2023) IRL.
Independent New York (independenthq.com)
Spring Studios, 50 Varick Street, Tribeca
May 11-14
TEFAF
The European Fine Arts Foundation (TEFAF) held its first annual fair in 2016, showcasing “museum-quality objects” ranging from modern and contemporary art, antiques, jewellery, furniture and works of art. design. TEFAF is best described as luxurious and lush with historical background, highlighting the life’s work of many field experts bringing out the world’s finery for collectors and curators. The eighth edition of TEFAF in New York will feature 91 dealer presentations, 13 of which are new to the list. If you’re looking for an upscale vibe or an opportunity to dress up a little more, this is it.
TEFAF (tefaf.com)
Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Avenue, Upper East Side
May 12-16
Frieze New York
Frieze New York is a vast and cumbersome sea with mega-galleries like David Zwirner, Gagosian, Perrotin and Pace. It’s usually the first fair people think of during Spring Art Week in New York, with more than 60 galleries from 27 countries represented in this year’s iteration. The “Focus” section of Frieze is dedicated to solo presentations by emerging galleries aged 12 and under. One of the highlights of this year is the joint presentation by Sprüth Magers and Karma International of the multidisciplinary work of Pamela Rosenkranz. If you’re not ready to brave the storm of art fairs to catch a glimpse (and who could blame you!), there’s also the option to check out the artist’s last commission“Old Tree” (2023), on the High Line Plinth in Chelsea, just a block and a half away!
Friesland New York (frieze.com)
The Shed, 545 West 30th Street, Hudson Yards
May 17-21
Volta New York
VOLTA New York debuted in 2008 as a more intimate fair that promotes emerging contemporary artists internationally. I think it leans a little Pier 1 Imports in the direction of being relatively nice and suitable for the walls of your home, but there are certainly some great works by under-sung artists tucked between the decorative wall hangings and sculptures. VOLTA New York will present more than 50 galleries from 18 countries. Keep an eye out for works by Manuel Mera, Logan T. Sibrel, and Dana Sherwood.
VOLTANew York (voltaartfairs.com)
Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street, Chelsea
May 17-21
NADA New York
The New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) has chosen the 548 West gallery loft as the new location for the ninth edition of the fair. Show organizers appear to have narrowed the list of exhibitors from 120 last year to 88 galleries and nonprofits in 17 countries this year. NADA New York also has a scheduled lecture series offered daily throughout the fair, focusing on topics such as networking and opportunities for artists and unpacking the contemporary art market. Of the 88 exhibitors, 31 will make their NADA debut this year, fulfilling the organization’s mission to create opportunities for emerging artists, curators and galleries while making contemporary art more accessible to the public. Miami-based independent publisher and printer Dale Zine presents a booth in New York for the first time, centered around the enchanting three-dimensional paintings of artist Kelly Breez.
NADA New York (newartdealers.org)
548 West, 548 West 22nd Street, Chelsea
May 18-21
1-54 New York
Beginning in 2013, this year marks the 10th anniversary of 1-54 as the first and only international fair dedicated to modern and contemporary African art. Developed by Moroccan entrepreneur Touria El Glaoui, 1-54 refers to Africa as a continent made up of 54 nations. This year’s iteration will feature over 80 African and Diaspora artists across 26 galleries and exhibitors hailing from Cape Town, Nevlunghavn, Los Angeles and everywhere in between. Discover the works of Malian artist Ange Dakouo, Senegalese photographer Alun Be and Ghanaian painter Ablade Glover among the highlights of this year.
1-54 New York (1-54.com)
Malt House, 439 West 127th Street, West Harlem/Manhattanville Factory District
May 18-21
Clio Art Fair
At the other end of the spectrum, we have the biannual Clio art fair. The self-proclaimed “anti-art fair for independent artists,” founded in 2014, intentionally presents the work of creators without representation in a New York gallery with the aim of “challenging the methodologies of the traditional art market.” Artists have an agency on their screens and exhibition spaces and are in direct contact with collectors. About 80 independent artists from all over the world are present in the 14th edition of Clio, which will also inaugurate a special section called “What’s Your Fight?” with a series of performances that invite us to come to terms with the question: “Why is the life of most human beings dominated by discontent, anguish, fear of war and war? »
Clio Art Fair (clioartfair.com)
550 West 29th Street, Chelsea
May 18-21
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