The 2023 edition of the Armory Show. Courtesy of the Armory Show
As summer winds down, the art community prepares for the Armory Show that marks the start of New York's bustling art season. This year, the renowned fair celebrates its 30th anniversary and will be held at the Javits Center on Manhattan’s far West Side from September 6-8, 2024. The event will be open to the public from September 6-8, with a VIP preview on September 5. It enters an exciting new chapter under the direction of Kyla McMillan who recently took over from former director Nicole Berry.
“I aim to empower collectors and highlight the fair's role as a platform for artists, galleries, and art lovers,” McMillan explains. Her background includes founding her own gallery and consulting firm, Saint George Projects, and holding directorial positions at David Zwirner, Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, and Alexander Gray Associates. “The Armory Show has long been recognized as a foundational fair for the New York and U.S. art markets. I look forward to building on its successes while also promoting new voices and creating opportunities for diverse perspectives in contemporary art.” Additionally, the fair is now under the ownership of London-based Frieze, which operates eight fairs globally, including Frieze New York, London, Seoul, and Los Angeles.
“The Armory Show team, with support from our Frieze colleagues, has curated an incredible lineup of talent this year,” McMillan adds. Notable highlights will include a major video installation by Isaac Julien, presented by the London-based gallery Victoria Miro. Following a five-screen exhibition at the recently concluded 2024 Whitney Biennale, Julien's work features a two-screen setup accompanied by related photographic pieces. The film, titled Once Again... (Statues Never Die), examines the relationship between U.S. African art collector Dr. Albert C. Barnes and philosopher Alain Locke, a key figure of the Harlem Renaissance. The Marianne Ibrahim Gallery, with locations in Chicago, Paris, and Mexico City, will showcase a solo booth featuring stunning paintings by Japanese artist Yukimasa Ida, following two significant solo exhibitions in 2023.
Yukimasa Ida. Smiling Angel. 2024. Courtesy of Mariane Ibrahim Gallery
Zurich's Blue Velvet will also present a solo exhibition, marking the first international fair showcase of work by legendary Greek-American artist Chryssa Vardea, spanning four distinct artistic periods.
Emerging talents to watch include Northern Cheyenne artist Jordan Ann Craig, whose large-scale abstract paintings exploring her Native ancestry will be exhibited at Hales Gallery. Pippy Houldsworth Gallery will feature new works by promising abstract painter Sophia Loeb, along with pieces by Nasim Hantehzadeh, Qualeasha Wood, and Liorah Tchiprout. At Almine Rech, don’t miss the experimental, process-driven works of American colorist Gwen O’Neil, whose meditative pieces are created with hundreds of dabs of pigment on raw canvas.
The Armory Show distinguishes itself from other fairs through its unique curatorial approach, nurturing young galleries, and presenting site-specific projects. This year, the Platform section, curated by former Brooklyn Museum curator Eugenie Tsai, will explore the theme of collective memory, featuring works by Dominique Fund, Sanford Biggers, and Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, who will present Valkyrie Liberty, a monumental hanging sculpture that merges the cultural symbolism of the Statue of Liberty with Norse mythology. This piece was previously showcased during Dior’s Fall/Winter 2023-2024 collection.
A work by Joana Vasoncelos shown at Dior's Fall/Winter 2023 collection. Courtesy of the artist
Exciting discoveries await in the Presents section, highlighting newer galleries established within the last decade. Proxyco will display horticultural sculptures made from braided steel, resin clay, wool, and fabric by Diana Sofia Lozano. Meanwhile, Hannah Traore Gallery will feature photographs by Camila Falquez documenting the passage of Colombia's first bill protecting transgender and non-binary individuals.
Diana Sofía Loza. 2023. Spiraling in a Cartographic Mist. Courtesy of Proxyco
Sayart / Amia Nguyen, amyngwyen13@gmail.com
The 2023 edition of the Armory Show. Courtesy of the Armory Show
As summer winds down, the art community prepares for the Armory Show that marks the start of New York's bustling art season. This year, the renowned fair celebrates its 30th anniversary and will be held at the Javits Center on Manhattan’s far West Side from September 6-8, 2024. The event will be open to the public from September 6-8, with a VIP preview on September 5. It enters an exciting new chapter under the direction of Kyla McMillan who recently took over from former director Nicole Berry.
“I aim to empower collectors and highlight the fair's role as a platform for artists, galleries, and art lovers,” McMillan explains. Her background includes founding her own gallery and consulting firm, Saint George Projects, and holding directorial positions at David Zwirner, Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, and Alexander Gray Associates. “The Armory Show has long been recognized as a foundational fair for the New York and U.S. art markets. I look forward to building on its successes while also promoting new voices and creating opportunities for diverse perspectives in contemporary art.” Additionally, the fair is now under the ownership of London-based Frieze, which operates eight fairs globally, including Frieze New York, London, Seoul, and Los Angeles.
“The Armory Show team, with support from our Frieze colleagues, has curated an incredible lineup of talent this year,” McMillan adds. Notable highlights will include a major video installation by Isaac Julien, presented by the London-based gallery Victoria Miro. Following a five-screen exhibition at the recently concluded 2024 Whitney Biennale, Julien's work features a two-screen setup accompanied by related photographic pieces. The film, titled Once Again... (Statues Never Die), examines the relationship between U.S. African art collector Dr. Albert C. Barnes and philosopher Alain Locke, a key figure of the Harlem Renaissance. The Marianne Ibrahim Gallery, with locations in Chicago, Paris, and Mexico City, will showcase a solo booth featuring stunning paintings by Japanese artist Yukimasa Ida, following two significant solo exhibitions in 2023.
Yukimasa Ida. Smiling Angel. 2024. Courtesy of Mariane Ibrahim Gallery
Zurich's Blue Velvet will also present a solo exhibition, marking the first international fair showcase of work by legendary Greek-American artist Chryssa Vardea, spanning four distinct artistic periods.
Emerging talents to watch include Northern Cheyenne artist Jordan Ann Craig, whose large-scale abstract paintings exploring her Native ancestry will be exhibited at Hales Gallery. Pippy Houldsworth Gallery will feature new works by promising abstract painter Sophia Loeb, along with pieces by Nasim Hantehzadeh, Qualeasha Wood, and Liorah Tchiprout. At Almine Rech, don’t miss the experimental, process-driven works of American colorist Gwen O’Neil, whose meditative pieces are created with hundreds of dabs of pigment on raw canvas.
The Armory Show distinguishes itself from other fairs through its unique curatorial approach, nurturing young galleries, and presenting site-specific projects. This year, the Platform section, curated by former Brooklyn Museum curator Eugenie Tsai, will explore the theme of collective memory, featuring works by Dominique Fund, Sanford Biggers, and Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, who will present Valkyrie Liberty, a monumental hanging sculpture that merges the cultural symbolism of the Statue of Liberty with Norse mythology. This piece was previously showcased during Dior’s Fall/Winter 2023-2024 collection.
A work by Joana Vasoncelos shown at Dior's Fall/Winter 2023 collection. Courtesy of the artist
Exciting discoveries await in the Presents section, highlighting newer galleries established within the last decade. Proxyco will display horticultural sculptures made from braided steel, resin clay, wool, and fabric by Diana Sofia Lozano. Meanwhile, Hannah Traore Gallery will feature photographs by Camila Falquez documenting the passage of Colombia's first bill protecting transgender and non-binary individuals.
Diana Sofía Loza. 2023. Spiraling in a Cartographic Mist. Courtesy of Proxyco
