8 Dealers Open Up Their Back Rooms Ahead of NADA
Rushing into NADA NY on opening day to search out the freshest works on offer by the art world’s rising stars is always a thrill. More exciting still is catching a glimpse of the pieces before they’re packed into crates or sneaking a peek into the toy-sized booth mock-up sitting on a dealer’s desk—this is where curation and the market meet. We took just such a trip into the back rooms of eight of NADA’s most anticipated exhibitors to get the stories behind what will likely be some of the most talked-about presentations come Thursday morning.
247365
In Nathaniel de Large’s studio, finishing up works for NADA.
The gallery is run by two artists, Jesse Greenberg and MacGregor Harp, whose works are standouts in their own right. Meanwhile, the duo’s thriving space in Gowanus, Brooklyn, has garnered a reputation for discovering and developing some of the city’s newest talent. The gallery, which recently expanded to a new location on Manhattan’s Lower East Side brings a serious dose of playfulness and unpredictability to their NADA booth, ambitious staging and performers included.
NADA HISTORY:
Participated in NADA fairs since 2013, twice in Miami and now three times in New York.
Artists Showing:
Solo presentation of new works by Nathaniel de Large.
FROM JESSE GREENBERG & MACGREGOR HARP, 247365 CO-FOUNDERS:
What should we expect?
In the artist’s words: “Interior theater of the social, three-story participatory sculpture with backup dancers on all levels, data-extracting drawer handles, structural color, ergonomics.”
What is special about the pieces?
In addition to impressive craft and the results of specialized industrial processes, there will be a participatory element. And in the future, watch out for a large conical structure full of puppies.
Eleven Rivington
Augusto Arbizo’s office with maquettes for the Eleven Rivington booth.
The gallery is a NADA veteran and a Lower East Side hotspot for both young talent and for resurfacing historic artists. After a fair season of solo presentations, Eleven Rivington indulges visitors to NADA with a full overview of the program that most New York collectors already know and love. The maquettes (shown above in owner Augusto Arbizo’s office) reveal the true visual treat that is in store.
NADA HISTORY:
A NADA member since 2007 (the year the gallery was founded); has participated in NADA NY since 2012.
ARTISTS SHOWING:
Jackie Saccoccio, Lisa Ruyter, Mika Tajima, Marsha Cottrell, Sarah Peters
FROM AUGUSTO ARBIZO, ELEVEN RIVINGTON FOUNDER:
What should we expect?
A lot of color popping off a booth with bright white flooring. It’s a group installation, as we are coming off very focused, solo booths in Hong Kong and Art Brussels. NADA is a little more relaxed, while still with very strong work.
What is special about the pieces?
Lisa Ruyter’s first show in New York since 2006 opens at Eleven Rivington during the third week of May, so we are featuring the artist’s recent paintings—all are new and arrived from Vienna just days before the fair. I’m excited to feature this great body of work, all based on Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Collection (FSA/OWI) archive photos.
The Journal Gallery
Packing the Colin Snapp pieces at the gallery. Chris Succo’s custom made/branded, Titanium White 1 in his Dusseldorf studio.
To get a first peek at the booth, I dropped in on Chris Succo at his studio in Düsseldorf—and it did not disappoint. The artist is debuting a news series, in conjunction with his solo show on view at the Williamsburg, Brooklyn, gallery from May 12. Chris has perfected his practice to the point that that a British paint manufacturer now produces a special white just for him, which features the artist’s optimal viscosity and tone.
NADA HISTORY:
First participated in NADA Miami Beach in 2007, as a magazine booth. First participated in the fair as a gallery in 2009. This is the gallery’s third time at NADA NY.
ARTISTS SHOWING:
Chris Succo, Colin Snapp, and Graham Collins.
FROM MICHAEL NEVIN, THE JOURNAL CO-FOUNDER:
What should we expect?
New work from the three artists we are showing at the fair. There will be some surprises in terms of the type of work that may be expected from these artists.
What is special about the pieces?
All of the work is coming straight from the studios. Included will be a Chris Succo “ZigZag” painting, a sewn Graham Collins work, and a series of photographs from Colin Snapp.
Bert the chocolate Pom unpacking a new Zane Lewis piece. Inside Michael Dotson's studio ahead of the fair.
The Hole has presented quirky, theme-curated booths for several seasons of NADA—transporting viewers to the inside of a shipping crate or a corner bodega. This fair will be no exception. This time around, Kathy Grayson was inspired by the ingenuity of artists who use spray-paint and create dedicated environments for the medium—studios that she will transpose into the fair. Of course, we can expect to see her Pomeranian pup, Bert, on sight to supervise the installation.
NADA HISTORY:
It is The Hole’s second year at NADA NY and fifth year at NADA Miami Beach. Grayson adds, “I was so flattered to be invited back then—it made me feel like a grown up. Time flies.”
ARTISTS SHOWING:
Zane Lewis, Rosson Crow, Michael Dotson, KATSU, Joe Reihsen, Evan Gruzis, Adam Henry, and maybe a few more surprises, all in a curated thematic installation called “Spray Booth Booth.”
FROM KATHY GRAYSON, THE HOLE FOUNDER:
What should we expect?
While visiting artists studios, I noticed they all had plastic covered rooms in their studios. Whether using airbrushes, spray cans or industrial sprayers they had these little Dexter rooms so they could have paint spraying around without destroying everything. We decided to turn the art fair booth into a spray booth and exhibit works that use atomized paint. There will also be an outside wall where will have a giant volcanic-ash painting by Kasper Sonne and Rose Eken ceramics.
What is special about the pieces?
KATSU was just in the news (and tracked by police) for writing the first drone graffiti across a giant billboard on Houston Street. We will be showing some of his drone paintings, which are the most complex use of spray in our booth. Kasper Sonne hasn’t shown the “Volcanic Ash” works in America yet, and people were going crazy for them off of jpegs from European fairs. So seeing them in person is going to cause a great sensation.
Cherry tree paintings in Daniel Heidkamp's studio. Geneive Figgis to scale. Never-before-shown Justin Adian works on paper.
With fresh programming every season from this arbiter of cool on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, one can find shows of emerging art alongside ones that offer perspective on the practices of established names like William Anastasi and Josephine Meckseper. Its NADA booth will spotlight four great artists, including brand new works on paper by Justin Adian.
NADA HISTORY:
Has participated in NADA Miami Beach. This is the gallery’s first time at NADA NY.
ARTISTS SHOWING:
Justin Adian, Colin O’Con, Genieve Figgis, Daniel Heidkamp.
FROM ERIN GOLDBERGER, HALF GALLERY DIRECTOR:
What should we expect?
Our booth this year is a chance to highlight standouts from the past year and introduce some new talent as well.
What is special about the pieces?
We will be showcasing works on paper by Justin Adian that have not been exhibited before, although Fulton Ryder published Soft and Loose about the works on paper in 2014.
NADA booth Photoshop mock-up. Jay Stuckey’s piece and the expressionist painting by Kokoschka it is referencing.
The Los Angeles gallery has a strong New York audience for its program, coming back to the city just months after presenting a knockout booth by Luke Diiorio at The Armory Show. Bringing together five artists and two site-specific pieces, this booth will aim to get under viewers’ skin. In some ways, it could be seen as a kickoff to the gallery’s lineup of summer shows.
NADA HISTORY:
Has participated at NADA NY since 2012.
ARTISTS SHOWING:
Chris Coy, Jen DeNike, Elias Hansen, Neil Raitt, Jay Stuckey.
FROM STEFANO DI PAOLA, ANAT EBGI DIRECTOR:
What should we expect?
The booth this year is about creating an otherworldly and deeply psychological space. Each of the works is about something unsettling or uneasy. It will feature site-specific installations by two of the artists that add to the unconventional approach of the booth’s presentation. We’re putting in a green carpet because it’s so ... off.
What is special about the pieces?
We are just beginning to work with Chris Coy, and this is the first time we will be showing his works. This body of work comes from his upbringing in the Mormon church and resulting relationship to sexuality. The series of “Deformer” paintings have images of softcore pornography overlaid with a blank Photoshop grid. The hidden image deforms the grid and only gives subtle hints of the source, so the figures are barely visible.
We are also showing new works by Jay Stuckey. The often humorous pieces include a work titled Self-portrait with Doll (OK), which is a reference to Oskar Kokoschka, who had a life-size doll created to look like the love of his life and muse, Alma Mahler, after she left him. Jay was fascinated with this story and painted the piece with the direct reference of “OK,” Oskar Kokoschka.
Alex Da Corte new pieces and Torben Ribe installation.
A first time exhibitor at NADA NY, this Copenhagen gallery is one that New Yorkers should get to know. (It is already on the radar of international collectors, rising alongside other Danish dealers like V1.) Risley will introduce works by Torben Ribe, a Danish artist who mines the zeitgeist and his own experiences to make canvas assemblages. The gallery will also show Alex Da Corte, whose installation “Die Hexe”at Luxembourg & Dayan dazzled Manhattan audiences earlier this spring.
NADA HISTORY:
Participated in NADA Cologne. NADA NY is their first outing at a standalone NADA fair.
ARTISTS SHOWING:
Solo presentation of Torben Ribe on the booth’s interior walls with works by Alex Da Corte on the outside.
FROM DAVID RISLEY, GALLERY OWNER:
What should we expect?
At first glance, the booth will look like a show of minimalist abstract painting but that impression is pretty false. Torben Ribe’s works are made of old bills, plastic pizza slices, a house plant, and power outlets.
What is special about the pieces?
One of Torben’s paintings is a white canvas with some scratches on it with a film of his credit card spinning round and round projected life-size onto it. Like the work with unpaid bills, it becomes a kind of modern-day self-portrait. Alex Da Corte is making a series of new “plastic paintings” using enlarged prints of classic album covers with elements collaged onto them—hair, dollar bills, etc.
Paul Butler’s cutout Artforum ads in process. Cloe Wise studio with Chanel sex swing and painted pastries.
Spanning Montreal and Toronto, Division Gallery has been forging a strong program that is gaining the attention of art lovers south of the Canadian border. Now, in their first year participating in NADA, they are highlighting three artists, including Brooklyn-based Chloe Wise, who gained internet acclaim for her series of luxury handbags fashioned out of urethane pasties and a bagel affixed with Chanel “C” logos (Bagel No. 5)—which sent bloggers into a frenzy and this media-savvy mistress into delight. At NADA, she will present a brand-new series with even more kink.
NADA HISTORY:
First time participating in a NADA fair.
ARTISTS SHOWING:
FROM Dominique ToutanT, DIVISION GALLERY Director:
What should we expect?
The booth will present work by three contemporary Canadian artists, all of whom question the way that information and objects assume value based on their visual presentation. Jillian Kay Ross mines photo-aggregate websites for images lost amid this pool of information and reduces them to paintings in economical line. Working in collage, Paul Butler’s work consists of doctored Artforum pages, carefully layered, cut, and pasted into abstracted images. Chloe Wise’s sculptures—including urethane-painted baked goods adorned with high-end accoutrements and designer branded sex swings—explore networks of desires, conflating biological and commercial consumption.
What is special about the pieces?
For NADA, Chloe Wise has a created a white Chanel sex swing. It will be her first time presenting work from this series outside of Canada and we’re looking forward to showcasing this work to a New York audience that has become familiar with Wise’s urethane painted bread bags.
Paul Butler’s collage fits well in an art-fair context, as these manipulated Artforum ads lay bare the mechanisms of art-world consumption and marketing—only to reenter their network. For NADA, Butler is presenting larger, blown-up versions of these original ads printed on plexi. Their skewed size and novel material underscore the transmutability of circulated images in the digital age.
