New York
May 17, 2023

In this issue:

• Your pocket guide to navigating this week’s art fair frenzy
• John Yau on the jubilation of discovering anonymous artist new.shiver, plus reviews of Curtis Cuffie and Marcelo Pombo
• Kusama superfans are lining up for a new exhibition, Manet’s “Olympia” is coming to NYC, and Brooklyn artist David Colosi is obsessed with snails

Support Hyperallergic's independent journalism

We rely on member support to publish quality arts journalism and criticism that is free and available to all. 

A No-Nonsense Guide to NYC’s May Art Fairs

The weather is getting warmer, the spotted lantern flies are hatching en masse, and artists and gallerists are gearing up for the second wave of art fairs popping up this weekend. To help alleviate the daunting dizziness of too many options, we’ve created a quick and easy back-pocket guide to navigating each fair and its offerings.

• Frieze New York
  May 17–21
  The Shed, 545 West 30th Street, Hudson Yards (frieze.com)

• VOLTA New York
  May 17–21
  Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street, Chelsea (voltaartfairs.com)

• NADA New York 
  May 18–21
  548 West, 548 West 22nd Street, Chelsea (newartdealers.org)

• 1-54 New York 
  May 18–21
  Malt House, 439 West 127th Street, West Harlem (1-54.com)

• Clio Art Fair (clioartfair.com)
  May 18–21
  550 West 29th Street, Chelsea

Read our coverage of last weekend's Independent, TEFAF, and Future art fairs, and Spring Break’s ongoing “Surprise” Show!

FROM OUR CRITICS

The Joys of Watching Paint Dry

In contrast to the speed and bravura of gestural abstraction, new.shiver slows time, and invites viewers to ponder how one might shape time passing. | John Yau

The Elders 
Apr. 20–May 26
Tibor de Nagy Gallery, 11 Rivington Street, Lower East Side (tibordenagy.com)

Curtis Cuffie’s Precarious Life and Art

He embraced the uncertainty of his environs, knowingly erecting his assemblage sculptures in areas subject to police raids. | Irini Zervas

Curtis Cuffie
Apr. 14–May 20
Galerie Buchholz, 17 East 82nd Street, Upper East Side (galeriebuchholz.de)

Marcelo Pombo in the Age of Neoliberalism

A new exhibition presents new works by the Argentinian artist alongside drawings from his days as a gay rights activist in the 1980s.

Artisanal Conceptualism: Starting Point 
Mar. 30–May 20
Barro New York, 25 Peck Slip, Seaport (barro.cc)

EXHIBITION PREVIEWS

New Kusama NYC Show Draws Lines Down the Block

An exhibition in Chelsea features one of the artist’s “Infinity Rooms,” which haven’t been shown in NYC since 2021. | Elaine Velie

The Brooklyn Artist Who Wants You to Care About Snails

In a world where humans exploit snails as extractable resources, artist David Colosi’s latest exhibition asks us to consider their individualism. | Maya Pontone

IN THE NEWS

Manet’s Controversial Nude Is Coming to New York

“Olympia” (1863) will be shown in the US for the first time as part of a Met exhibition focused on the joint careers of Édouard Manet and Edgar Degas. | Rhea Nayyar

Met Museum Will Hire Team to Investigate Looted Art

Following a number of high-profile art seizures by the Manhattan DA, the museum will bring on new staff to conduct provenance research. | Elaine Velie

Brooklyn’s Bushwick Neighborhood Gets Its First Historic District

The 32 houses on the newly designated stretch of Linden Street represent a hodgepodge of styles from Neo-Grec to Romanesque Revival. | Elaine Velie

CLOSING SOON

Bispo do Rosario: All Existing Materials on Earth
Jan. 25–May 20
Americas Society, 680 Park Avenue, Upper East Side, Manhattan (as-coa.org)
Read the review

Wendy Red Star: Our Side
Apr. 7–May 20
Sargent’s Daughters, 179 East Broadway, Lower East Side (sargentsdaughters.com)

Ken Tisa: Dream Maps
Mar. 15–May 26
Kate Werble Gallery, 474 Broadway, Third Floor, Soho (katewerblegallery.com)

Matt Bollinger: Station
Apr. 22–May 27
François Ghebaly Gallery, 391 Grand Street, Chinatown (ghebaly.com)
Read the review

Kyle Goen: Let Art Be Training in the Practice of Freedom
Apr. 29–May 27
The Empty Circle, 499 Third Avenue, Park Slope (theemptycircle.com)

Uncommon Denominator: Nina Katchadourian at the Morgan
Feb. 10–May 28
The Morgan Library & Museum, 225 Madison Avenue, Murray Hill (themorgan.org)

Claude Gillot: Satire in the Age of Reason
Feb. 24–May 28
The Morgan Library & Museum, 225 Madison Avenue Murray Hill (themorgan.org)

Crafting Freedom: The Life and Legacy of Free Black Potter Thomas W. Commeraw
Jan. 27–May 28
New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, Upper West Side, Manhattan (nyhistory.org)
Read the review

Deconstructing Power: W. E. B. Du Bois at the 1900 World’s Fair
Dec. 9–May 29
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, 2 East 91st Street, Upper East Side (cooperhewitt.org)