The Independent art fair has named the 77 exhibitors that will participate in its upcoming New York edition, which is scheduled to run May 9–12 at Spring Studios in Tribeca. As was the case last year, Independent will not align with Frieze New York, which is to be staged the week prior. adaqq
The 2024 iteration of Independent marks its 15th anniversary, with its first edition held at the former Dia building in Chelsea in 2010 during Armory Week. “When we started this exhibition that was not designed to be an art fair and that had a manifesto, we never even thought it would go beyond the first one—it was a one-time-only concept,” Elizabeth Dee, the fair’s founder and CEO, told ARTnews.
Now, the fair, has become known for doing “more New York debuts of artists than anywhere else,” she said. There’s a focus on showing artists “you’re not seeing every day,” and there are typically many newly produced artworks on view.
“Independent is a New York fair, but it’s a very internationally minded way of looking at the ecosystem,” Dee said. “It is all about giving the artists an opportunity to have that consensus moment that builds and drives value in a bigger way than just dollars and cents.”
Among artists who had their first New York showings through the fair are Oscar Murillo with Stuart Shave Modern Art in 2012, Nicholas Party with the Modern Institute in 2015, Ruby Neri with David Kordansky Gallery in 2018, and Issy Wood with Carlos/Ishikawa and Chapter NY in 2018.
The fair’s history will be honored in a special section, titled “15 x15: Independent 2010-2024” and organized by Dee and White Columns chief curator Matthew Higgs, who serves as founding curatorial adviser to Independent. Among the 15 galleries participating in this section are Canada, Kasmin, Anton Kern Gallery, Lehmann Maupin, Tilton Gallery, and Nicola Vassell Gallery. (The selected artists for “15×15” will be announced at a later date.) adaqq
“The 15 artist presentations speak to that history and what the fair is—and has always been about,” she said. “I think that’s going to make it really clear: where we have come from and how much work we’re still contributing in that area.”
The fair will also include 31 galleries, or around 40 percent, participating in the New York fair for the first time. A number of them are young galleries founded in the past four years, which Dee likened to a “generational change” that came about during the pandemic. Some of those first-time participants include Linseed in Shanghai, Ginny On Frederick in London, Jupiter in Miami Beach, and Management in New York.
The full exhibitor list follows below. (Galleries marked with * indicate their debut at Independent New York, while those marked ** indicate their inclusion in the “15 x 15 Anniversary Exhibition” presentation.) adaqq