Inaugural Exhibition, PHOTOFAIRS New York, Launches Alongside The Armory Show at Javits Center September 8-10

PHOTOFAIRS New York is a new contemporary art fair dedicated to photo-based works, digital art and new media. Taking place at the Javits Center, Manhattan’s West Side during The Armory Show, (September 8-10), the Fair will present a state-of-the-art view of visual culture.

Running alongside The Armory Show, (separate entrance), PHOTOFAIRS New York cements the first week of September as the annual pulse point on New York’s arts calendar. The fair’s debut edition welcomes a highly curated selection of exhibitors from around the world, from renowned photography dealers to interdisciplinary contemporary art galleries, to organizations at the forefront of emerging technologies.

The Fair’s strong curatorial approach will create a new platform where photography and new technologies intersect. It will provide a dedicated space to explore new trends in the contemporary art market from fine art photo-based works to experimental filmmaking, VR and NFTs. PHOTOFAIRS New York will connect collectors and visitors with international galleries and boundary-pushing artists inviting discourse and interaction.

Organizations presenting special projects include Fotografiska, Baxter St at the Camera Club of New York, Gagosian Quarterly, and Jamaica Art Society, among others. A full list of exhibitors and participating organizations can be found Here.

In addition to a range of thematic and group exhibitions, more than a third of the fair is devoted to solo artist presentations. Highlights include: HESSE FLATOW’s presentation of photographs, prints, and video works by New York-based artist Adama Delphine Fawundu, whose practice explores themes of indigenization and ancestral memory; TRANSFER’s showcase of Huntrezz Janos’ multilayered face filters, which use augmented reality to explore the mythology of self; Nil Gallery’s presentation of works by Ghanaian artist Caleb Kwarteng Prah, who blends street photography and personal archives to portray contemporary Ghana; never-before-seen portraits from Katsu Naito’s Once in Harlem series, exhibited at The Fridge; a physical and digital presentation by Praise Shadows Gallery of Nicole Wilson’s durational project Ötzi, where the artist photo-documents the process of reconciling ancient and contemporary tattoo practices; artist duo Elliot & Erick Jiménez’s showcase of staged photographs that personify deities and saints within Yoruba and Catholic syncretism, presented by Spinello Projects; a selection of Maleonn’s photographs and installations, including the artist’s tribute to painter Jheronimus Bosch’s 15th century masterwork The Garden of Earthly Delights, at Shun Art Gallery; and Momentum’s presentation of cinematic landscapes from Norwegian artist Ole Marius Joergensen’s latest series, which explores the mysteries of rural life.

Many of this year’s solo and dual presentations spotlight the work of artists examining the craft and materiality of photography and its intersections across media and discipline, from drawing and painting to fiber techniques and collage.

Highlights include: Elijah Wheat’s solo presentation of Rhiannon Adam’s new series Composites, for which the artist arranges large-scale Polaroid emulsion lifts on watercolor paper; Brooklyn-based artist Delphine Diallo’s new series Golden Age, unveiled in Fisheye Gallery’s solo booth, which combines portraiture and collage to give new life to African cult objects; Luis De Jesus Los Angeles’ display of a new body of work by Chris Engman that sees the artist employ drawing and painting alongside photography for the first time; and Robert Mann Gallery’s presentation of artists including Cig Harvey, Jane Waggoner Deschner, and Ana Teresa Barboza, whose practices combine photography with various historical fiber techniques.

PHOTOFAIRS New York’s expansive view of image-making explores contemporary intersections with digital art and new media. Several exhibitors specializing in emerging technologies present new digital projects, as well as engage audiences virtually.

Highlights include: The Path, an exhibition staged by Postmasters Gallery featuring photographs and video by Kenny Dunkan, Damjanski’s AI-assisted app alongside photographic works, and a sculpture by Jennifer and Kevin McCoy that employs cinematic footage created through an algorithm; bitforms’ group exhibition of works by pioneering artists including Marina Zurkow, Quayola, and LaJuné McMillian, who engage new technologies to interrogate themes of identity, representation, and environment.

Exhibitors were chosen by the fair’s esteemed Selection Committee: Sebastián Alderete (ROLF ART, Buenos Aires); Amanda Coulson (TERN Gallery, Nassau); Nicholas Fahey (Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles); and Putri Tan (Gagosian, New York & 19 cities worldwide), in collaboration with PHOTOFAIRS New York Director Helen Toomer.

The fair’s first edition also marks the launch of the 21c Acquisition Prize, an annual award established in partnership with 21c Chief Curator and Museum Director Alice Gray Stites. The prize is awarded to an artist exhibiting at PHOTOFAIRS New York whose work has been selected by Stites to join 21c’s esteemed collection. Stites and PHOTOFAIRS New York Director Helen Toomer will present the inaugural award at the Javits Center on Friday, September 8, 2023.

“21c seeks to support today’s most dynamic artists, working in a wide range of media and addressing the pressing issues of our time,” says Stites. “We are excited about discovering visionary artists working in innovative photographic and digital media at the inaugural edition of PHOTOFAIRS New York and expanding the collection further through the establishment of the 21c Acquisition Prize.”

Special Projects & Programming ~ Complementing the booth presentations are special projects from the fair’s programming partners. The international photography museum Fotografiska presents a special installation of recent portraits by Cara Romero that explore ideas of Indigeneity and Futurism. Jamaica Art Society stages Memories Don’t Leave Like People Do, an exhibition of video works curated by founder Tiana Webb Evans featuring work by artists Simon Benjamin, Zachary Fabri, Ania Freer, Timothy Yanick Hunter, and Jamilah Sabur, and explores the tension between knowledge, memory and history.

New York’s enthusiasm for visual culture is seen through its strong and longstanding gallery scene, with more galleries representing photographers in the city than anywhere else in the world. A place for cultural enrichment, New York has made an impressive contribution to the medium’s development through its public collections and museum holdings being some of the finest in the world.

The United States holds the largest global market for photography and New York is home to more than half of the world’s high-end collectors and patrons of photography, making the city the ideal location for a contemporary fair championing photo-based works and digital art. PHOTOFAIRS New York will enhance the city’s already rich cultural offering in September and provide a strong draw for visitors and collectors.

Aiming to appeal to established collectors and a new, fast-growing, generation of buyers, the Fair will be accompanied by an extensive VIP program including exclusive events, curator-led tours and private studio visits. The Fair will also hold a vibrant public program looking to cultivate and celebrate the ever-changing dynamic of today’s visual culture.

2023 Exhibitors:

The inaugural PHOTOFAIRS New York will take place from September 8-10, 2023 at Javits Center, 429 11th Avenue, NYC, at the Concourse Level, Hall 3A. A VIP Preview Day will take place on September 7th.

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Tickets Here