Our Mega Guide to all the Fun at Frieze New York

We hope you're well rested, because this is one incredible week for art fans in New York City.  The FRIEZE art fair has been building momentum for the past three years, and this year's edition on Randall's Island won't disappoint.  Plus there are tons of satellite fairs -- including an "invasion" of our turf by the folks from Art Miami -- and gallery openings, auctions, pop-ups and much more.

FRIEZE New York opens for "invite only" VIPs and collectors on Wednesday, May 13th, and then it's open to the public for four days starting on the 14th.  Over 190 galleries are exhibiting in 2015 and, as usual, there are cool side-projects including a "Tribute to Flux-Labyrinth 1976/2015" where contemporary artists will construct a maze of narrow corridors and obstructed spaces for you to explore.  Elsewhere, look for several "clandestine rooms" by Aki Sasamoto and "underground environments" by Samara Golden.  If you need to chill after these mysterious challenges, look for one of the free massage chairs placed around the venue by Korakit Arunanondchai.  There are also daily talks including one called "Ask Jerry" with New York Magazine's art critic Jerry Saltz on Saturday at noon and a talk-show panel hosted by the artist/comedian and 2015 Paper Beautiful Person Casey Jane Ellison on Friday at noon.  A single day ticket is $44 and the hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, except Sunday, when things shut down at 6 p.m. The full schedule is HERE.


For the first time, the folks behind Art Miami - that city's longest running art fair -- will host a New York spin-off on Pier 94 (12th Avenue at 55th Street) with over 100 galleries showing works from May 14th (VIP Preview) to May 17th.  FRIEZE VIP cardholders get in free and there's also a courtesy shuttle service from the FRIEZE ferry dock on East 35th Street.  It's open from noon to 8 p.m. daily, except Sunday until 6 p.m. A single day ticket is $25.  On Saturday, May 16th, 3 to 6 p.m., photographer and designer, Maripol, will sign copies of her limited-edition book MARIPOLA X  in booth #B19.  The book includes unreleased photos and poems chronicling the early-80s NY underground. Also: NYC's Keszler Gallery is showing several works by UK artist Banksy and The New York Academy of Art has a special exhibition of alumni work curated by Natalie Frank.


Gérard Quenum, 'La Cour du Roi', 2013, Acrylic on canvas, 130 x 170 cm, Courtesy of the artist and Art Twenty One

Another fair making it's NYC debut this year is the "1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair"
happening out in Red Hook at Pioneer Works (159 Pioneer Street, Brooklyn) from May 15th through May 17th.  The fair was founded in London in 2013 by Touria El Glaoui to showcase emerging contemporary African art. Sixteen galleries will be on hand with works by over 60 artists.  The award-winning London architecture and design studio RA Projects will do the lobby and exhibition spaces for the fair.  A single day ticket is $10 and it's open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m. (6 on Sunday).



NADA returns to Pier 36, Basketball City (299 South Street), for the fourth edition of their New York fair. The not-for-profit collective offers a great mix of global galleries and special projects including a fashion show on Thursday, May 14, 7 p.m., featuring limited-edition clothing designed by artists including Cheryl Donegan, Amy Yao, Sarah Braman, Bjorn Copeland and Daniel Heidkamp.  Richard Haines will be on-hand to document the show with his drawings.  This is a collab between NADA and Print All Over Me and was curated by Sam Gordon.  Admission to this fair is free and it's open to everybody, so check it out on Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m., or Friday thru Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (5 on Sunday).

The fifth LIC Arts Open runs from May 13th to May 17th with tons of open studios, exhibits, music etc. happening throughout Long Island City.  The complete list is HERE. Flux Factory (39-31 29th Street, LIC) is participating with a BBQ, artist talks and an exhibition by Roopa Vasudevan on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Sixty-one exhibitors are showing at the Spring Masters New York art and design fair at the Park Avenue Armory (643 Park Avenue).  This fair opened last week, but you still have a chance to check it out before it closes at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12th.  Tickets are $25.  Acclaimed architect Rafael Vinoly did the booth layout.


NeueHouse (110 East 25th Street) is once again the official VIP partner for FRIEZE and will host the VIP lounge with music, food and cocktails; plus artist talks including David Salle in the fair lounge on Sunday, May 17, 11 a.m., and Stephen Posen and his son, Zac, on Tuesday, May 12, 7 p.m., in their 25th Street location.  Also at 25th Street, on Wednesday and Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Dutch artist Berndnaut Smilde will present "Nimbus," creating artificial indoor clouds.

The local auction houses are hosting their contemporary art auctions this week with Bonhams on May 11, Sotheby's on the 12th & 13th,  Doyle on May 12, Christie's on May 13 and Phillips on May 14th & 15th.  Swann Auction Galleries (104 East 25th Street) hosts theirs at 1:30 p.m. on May 12th and it includes several items in what we like to call the "never throw anything away" category.  There's a 1984 invitation to Keith Haring and Larry Levan's "Party of Life" at the Paradise Garage that's estimated to go for between $1,000 and $1,500.  Haring printed the invite on a cloth handkerchief.  Also up for bidding is a leather jacket from the collection of a "door girl for the Danceteria VIP room Congo Bill" that includes tags by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Futura 2000, Fab Five Freddy, Ad-Rock and many other downtown notables.  It's estimate is $5,000 to $8,000.  You can check out all the cool items in this auction HERE.

FRIEZE week also overlaps with NYC X DESIGN, New York City's official celebration of everything design related, featuring hundreds of showcases, fairs and events all over town from May 8 to 19.  These include the Collective Design Fair which runs from May 13th to the 17th at Skylight Clarkson Square (550 Washington Street); WantedDesign in Brooklyn at Industry City (274 36th Street, Brooklyn, from the 9th to the 19th and also in Manhattan at 269 11th Avenue from the 15th to the 18th; plus ICFF, the "luxury/high end" furniture fair at Javits Center from May 16th to 19th.  Check out the massive list of events HERE.

RISD hosts a private reception on Sunday evening at the WantedDesign fair in Industry City, Brooklyn, with RISD President Rosanne Somerson.  RSVP only.

Aby Rosen and Vito Schnabel are hosting a pop-up exhibition called "First Show/ Last Show" on Saturday, May 16, 5 to 8 p.m., in the old Germania Bank (190 Bowery).  That's the former home of photographer Jay Meisel, recently purchased by Rosen's RFR Realty for a reported $55 million.  Schnabel curated the show featuring artists including Harmony Korine, Julian Schnabel, Mark Grotjahn, Ron Gorchov, Jeff Elrod, Joe Bradley and Dan Cohen.  

MoMA PopRally (11 West 53rd Street) presents "Serendipity," featuring the films and photography of Awol Erizku on Sunday, May 17, 7 to 10 p.m.  This includes the premiere of the LA artist's new film; plus a sound performance by MeLo-X, a DJ set by Kitty Cash, open bar and access to the museum's latest contemporary art exhibition: "Scenes for a New Heritage."  $25 tickets are HERE.

W Magazine and Stefano Tonchi celebrate their May art issue at the "premiere" of Ian Schrager's newest hotel, The New York Edition (5 Madison Avenue) on Tuesday night with Q-Tip spinning the tunes.  Invite only.

Maiyet, Conscious Commerce and Milkmade host a cocktail party on Wednesday -- also at The NY Edition -- with Alexandra Richards on the decks.  Again, it's invite only.

Sunglass Hut (496 Broadway) and Mr. Brainwash launch their new collab collection on May 14th.

Rachel Libeskind and Swaai Boys present "Ancient Baggage: Recent Discoveries in Ritualistc Objects" on Thursday, May 14th, 8 p.m., in the Sheltering Sky lounge at the McCarren Hotel & Pool (160 N. 12th Street, Brooklyn). This is Libeskind's performance piece that deals with "the rituals imposed by the suitcase" in a colab with experimental music from Swaii Boys.


The SELECT Art Fair (548 West 22nd Street) runs from May 13th to the 17th in the old DIA building in Chelsea. Several floors of galleries -- including "one entire floor of Brooklyn-based galleries" -- will be on hand; plus there's an exhibition of Michael Alig's prison artwork. Check out the daily rooftop parties in a maze structure called "You Are Here" designed by the art duo TROUBLE, featuring DJs, bands, performances etc. including Blondes on May 13, Jungle Pussy on the 14th and James Chance on the 15th.  A day-ticket is $20.

Peter Brant, Interview Magazine, Paul Kasmin Gallery and 1stDibs celebrate FRIEZE with a private cocktail party on Thursday evening.

TUMBLR hosts a private "unveiling" of Richard Phillips' new studio in LIC on May 14th, 7 to 10 p.m. Invite and RSVP only.

The Standard High Line (848 Washington Street) and High Line Art host a private cocktail party on Tuesday for Rashid Johnson's "Blocks" commission on the High Line.  Invite only.

Denis Gardarin Gallery  has a pop-up exhibit by French artist Mathieu Mercier from May 13th to the 16th, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, at Skylight at Moynihan Station on West 33rd Street.

Canadian artist Daniel Mazzone has a pop-up called "Torn Apart" on Thursday, May 14th, 7 to 11 p.m., at Carriage House Center (149 East 38th Street).  Mazzone's "collage portraits" of historic figures often incorporate personalized elements relating to the subject.


R & Company (82 Franklin Street) has a solo exhibition by LA-based designer David Wiseman called "Wilderness & Ornament" featuring cast bronze works and porcelain decorative walls.  Check it out during their normal business hours all week.



The Van Alen Institute hosts their "Celebrate Spring" benefit party and their on-going auction on Wednesday, May 13, 6:45 to 11:30 p.m., at the Surrogate's Courthouse (31 Chambers Street) with a seated dinner and performance by My Midnight Heart; plus DJ David Pacho and the "dystopian funk super group" LA-BAS.  You can get tickets HERE and bid on auction items now through May 20th via Paddle8. There are lots interesting things up for bidding including a "hot tub roundtable" with architect Charles Renfro at his fab Fire Island beach house and a private fitting with menswear designer Patrik Ervell in his NYC studio.

Several art jewelers and street artists have hooked-up to create some unique works that will be on view starting Saturday, May 16th, 6 to 8 p.m., at The Gallery at Reinstein Ross (30 Gansevoort Street) in a show called PLACEMENT.  Some of the artists participating are Skullphone, Logan Hicks, CYRCLE, ASVP, Arthur Nash and Tara Locklear.  Have a look before the end of June.


No Longer Empty will present a big multi-media group show called "Bring in the Reality" at the Nathan Cummings Foundation (475 10th Avenue, 14th floor). The exhibition features works that "speak candidly, freely and boldly...works that speak truth to power."  Participating artists include John Ahearn, Mel Chin, Tim Collins and K.O.S., Dread Scott, Nari Ward and many more.  The opening is May 12th, 6 to 8 p.m. and you should rsvp to exhibits@nathancummings.org if you plan to attend.  It's on view through the summer, but, again, you should make an appointment via the same email address.

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