NYC ART WEEK VIBES

artfeatured

Sep 9

The opening of the Armory Show – now in its 30th edition – featured 235 galleries, oodles of eclectic visuals and some electrifying exhibits. The atmosphere was upbeat with fun energy and plenty of curious creatures: artists, editors, preppy gallerists, fat-cat aficionados, A-listers, B-listers, and the usual riffraff — all ostensibly looking for that intoxicating mix of magic and madness.

Jonny Niesche's prismatic and vibrant abstractions with Gallerie Ron Mandos

Inside the venue things were popping. At the VIP lounge, a global cross section of dealmaking, marketing, editorializing, pedagogy and commerce was unfolding; the scene crackled with movers and shakers trafficking in the art world cosmos. The gigantic Javits center was jam packed with a whopping spectrum of painterly drama, sculpture, video, and gleaming installations dangling from above.

Standout works included Coen Young's poetically mirrored canvases at the 1301PE booth, Lydia Pettit's powerful and moving film ‘The Body’, which explores complex psychological-traumatic states, and Rachel Mica Weiss's installation at Carvalho Park’s booth. Jonny Niesche’s hypnotic fever-dreams also drew much buzz, along with Alin Bozbiciu's cerebral exploration of cyclical history motifs at the Secci booth.

Segment from Lydia Pettit's powerful film 'The Body', presented by Dinner Gallery

Coen Young's mirrored canvases at 1301SW

As Anarchy Daily arrived the jamboree was in full swirl. But the biggest swirling torrent was located on the periphery, that is, over on 25th street at the always eye-popping Petzel Gallery. That’s where Pieter Schoolwerth bombed our brains out with surreal missiles and cognitive explosives in the form of abstracted mutants and hyper-stylized CGI. Schoolwerth always schools us with howling passion, killer curation and sublime weirdness.

The exhibit, called ‘Supporting Actor,’ deployed all manner of multimedia and surreal imaginativeness: digital avatars, moving images, collaged wormholes, sonic madness, AI and all out bonkersness. This show emitted strange vivid vibrations, holy hallucinations and godly sensations that made us feel like the art week was worthy and relevant again.

Pieter Schoolwerth's 'Supporting Actor' at Petzel Gallery is a must-see

Elsewhere, on the LES, Oli Epp delivered some palpable and fiery visual candy with his ‘Fire The Menu’ paintings while MSCHF, the super-cool art collective, showcased some extra-surreal sculptures/ornaments (Industry Plants) at Perroton that pulsed with a comical stream of consciousness-like feel.

We lensed some cool works along the way while enjoying a wide range of art that got us pretty damn intoxicated. Enjoy…

Oli Epp's 'FireThe Menu' exhibit opening at Perrotin NYC

'Touch Me Sculpture One more Time', 2024 MSCHF, the super-cool art collective showcased their work at Perrotin.

Robert Motherwell’s Apse (1980–84) sold for $825,000

Despite the recent softness in the art market, some notable transactions were taking place: Morgan Library sold Robert Motherwell’s Apse (1980–84) for $825,000, and Berry Campbell moved Lynne Drexler’s Autumn Twilight (1977) for $450,000. Locks Gallery placed an essential oil on canvas piece by Pat Steir for $750,000 and Johyun Gallery sold three charcoal works by South Korean artist Lee Bae, ranging from $90,000 to $300,000. New York's 303 Gallery also saw success, selling two works by Rob Pruitt for $175,000 each and three by Sam Falls for $70,000 to $90,000, along with other three Doug Aitken lightbox works ranging from $150,000 to $275,000 each.Hans-Peter Feldmann’s painting sold for $77,000, three editions of Jeppe Hein’s 2019 piece YOU ARE AMAZING JUST THE WAY YOU ARE sold for $49,980 each, and a sculpture by Alicja Kwade went for $33,000.Tang Contemporary Art placed an Ai Weiwei bronze casting for $450,000, and one of his Lego Brickworks for $140,000 – $160,000.