FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

New York

6 Must-See Shows During Frieze New York

Get off the island: you don’t have to board a ferry to see good art this week.
Credits: Scott Alario at Radiator Arts

Welcome to another year of Art-pocalypse Now, when London’s massive Frieze fair comes to New York, takes up root on Randall’s Island, and turns the nearly inaccessible venue into a battlefield of art, culture, and $15 sandwiches. Luckily, this is a city of options, and for every art fair only reachable by ferry, there are a handful of great shows right here on the big island, with plenty of deli sandwich options to choose from. Check out these six gallery shows on view during Frieze Week. From Long Island City to the Lower East Side they’re still all considerably closer to home.

Advertisement

Surface to Air at Radiator Arts

A video posted by Tamas Veszi (@radiatorarts) on May 1, 2016 at 10:49am PDT

Credits: Benjamin Phelan at Radiator Arts

Any show that gets it's name from a Wiz Khalifa song is doing right. Curator RJ Supa brings together color changing Alien-esque sculptures from Benjamin Phelan, radiant horizon paintings from Michael Childress, and double-exposed, radioactive photographs from Scott Alario, for a type of new glow best described by the Wiz lyric quoted in the press release: It’s amazing how I get so high and stay so down to Earth.

On view Fridays and Sundays, 1 - 6 PM.

Efficient Frontier at Magenta Plains

Credits: Gretchen Bender at Magenta Plains

Get the best of both worlds with a cross-generational group show at the new, sprawling LES gallery, and explore the evolution of corporate civilization through a variety of mediums. Contemporary artists of all ages, from Peter Nagy and Gretchen Bender of the 70’s post-appropriation movement, to emerging artist like Michael Assiff, Lea Cetera, and Ethan Breckenridge, the show is an uncommonly well-rounded view of the future.

On view until June 8th.

Daniel Heidkamp at Half Gallery Pop Up at 16 Morton Street

"Blue Hour" #DanielHeidkamp 2016 on view next Tuesday night 6-9pm as part of his "New York, New Work" installation at 16 Morton Street

A photo posted by Bill Powers (@halfgallery) on Apr 29, 2016 at 5:50am PDT

Held in a warehouse in the West Village, Daniel Heidkamp takes the antiquated form of oil painted landscapes and city-fies them. The painting style, once reserved for a boudoir or country mantle, comes to life around brick and grime, showcasing cityscapes of New York in serene form, without losing street cred.

Advertisement

On view May 3rd to 8th.

Julia Fox at Magic Gallery

A photo posted by PAPER WORK NYC (@paperworknyc) on May 1, 2016 at 7:36pm PDT

Sex, drugs and Instagram fame. It's really all you need for a successful downtown art show. Insta-babe, model and photographer Julia Fox brings raw images of the party life to Magic Gallery, curated by model/artist/muse Richie Shazam. But it's not all glitter, with the title PTSD there lurks a rare personality worth searching for behind the filter.

On view until May 10th.

Stephen Lichty at Foxy Production

#stephenlichty @foxyproduction @stephenlichty !!!

A photo posted by @chri_dom_ick on May 1, 2016 at 3:24pm PDT

A sculptor unafraid to work across dimensions, Stephen Lichty crafts a balance between animal and mineral that is both calming and urgent. What might have been stale minimalism are instead geometric sculptures with crisp, unwavering lines, brought to life with the introduction of the (nearly) living—either taxidermied animals or the artist’s own physical performances.

On view until June 12th.

Fay Ray at Louis B James

Evoking a type of a M.C. Escher effect through collage, Fay Ray’s obsessive collections of found material have been gathered, pieced together, and scanned to become one image of surrealist proportions. You can’t help but fall into the work, lost in the appearance of dimension, turned upside-down maze where everything, and nothing, is familiar.

Advertisement

On view May 6th to June 8th.

Related:

The Sickest Instagram Photos from Frieze London

Mazes, Massage Chairs, and More: New York's Frieze Fair Is All About Interactive Art

In Cold Love: Richie Shazam's Valentines Day Zine