May 9, 2022
Widewalls Editorial
Art week is underway in NYC, with four fairs transpiring across Manhattan last week. New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) has held their NYC art fair’s post-pandemic return after a four year hiatus–a triumphant comeback that kicked off with a gorgeous spring day last Thursday, May 5th. NADA is “the definitive non-profit arts organization dedicated to the cultivation, support, and advancement of new voices in contemporary art.” Member galleries from The Hole to The Pit were participating, art world darlings who help each other by sharing contacts and services.
It was all going down at Pier 36 near Manhattan’s Lower East Side, an edgy neighborhood worlds away from more traditional Chelsea, where TEFAF and Future Fair are taking place, but a bit closer geographically and culturally to Independent’s SoHo locale. NADA was situated alongside stunning views of the East River, evocative of Untitled Art Fair’s South Beach spot in Miami.
Enough about the scenery, though. Recently, folks like Jerry Gogosian with a vested interest in unpacking contemporary art have noticed this moment’s fixation with wet and loose figurative paintings. While you’ll find plenty of that amongst NADA’s expansive walls, these vanguard galleries are packing a growing air of innovation as well. Here are our picks for 8 bold booths at NADA’s NYC homecoming.
Jeremy Couillard, Stephen Thorpe & Sheida Soleimani at Denny Dimin Gallery (New York, NY)
It’s a real accomplishment to arrange multiple artists so the work reads like a reciprocal interaction–as opposed to the grating opposite, two people yelling over each other. Denny Dimin Gallery achieved a similar feat at Booth 6.14, where Stephen Thorpe’s paintings of vultures and vintage gaming cabinets chatted with Jeremy Couillard’s digital artworks, from a game of his own design to deconstructed consoles and colorful 2D works like circuit boards. Pulsing with color and activity grounded by the booth’s rich purple walls, it was all swathed in work by Sheida Soleimani that wrapped the exterior in a flurry of photographs and three framed collage-style artworks.
Featured image: Installation views at Denny Dimin. Photo by Vittoria Benzine.