News

Pulse New York 2016

Words by My Art Guides Editorial Team
February 22, 2016

PULSE Contemporary Art Fair opens on the 3rd of March returning to its New York location at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea for its eleventh year. With intimate exhibitions and thoughtfully curated programming, PULSE New York offers a dynamic setting in which to discover a diverse range of artwork amongst an international roster of over 120 artists.

Opening with its signature Private Preview Brunch, on Thursday, March 3 from 10am–1pm, PULSE welcomes their VIPs and invited guests for an exclusive first look. Daily tours will be open to the public with a special Director led tour with Helen Toomer on opening day at 5pm followed by Young Collectors Cocktails from 6pm-8pm.

Showcasing a vibrant mix of emerging and established galleries from across four continents, PULSE welcomes a large number of new exhibitors including Christopher Moller Gallery from Cape Town, South Africa,Linare/Brecht Gallery from Hawaii, USA, PITT PROJECTS from Worcester, UK and Acacia Gallery from Havana, Cuba. Over 25% of exhibitors are new to PULSE with a number of returning galleries from last year’s edition. One third of PULSE’s galleries will present solo exhibitions which are all nominated for the PULSE Prize; a jury-awarded cash grant given to an artist of distinction.

The dual-artist focus, Conversations, will continue after its successful introduction in PULSE Miami Beach last season. The curated pairings will explore visual dialogues, engaging the conceptual and formal considerations between artistic practices. Presentations include a black confetti covered floor piece by Gianluca Quaglia juxtaposed with Renato D’Agostin’s silver gelatin prints as part of mc2gallery’s Back to Black exhibition. Galerie l’Inlassable will showcase an installation reminiscent of 19th century salons with works by James Reilly and emerging artist Saidia Bettayeb. Brenna Murphy and Sabrina Ratté will collaborate on a three-piece exhibition exploring a new virtual realm for Laffy Maffei Gallery. kinder MODERN will debut an erotic sculpture photo series entitled The Chair Affair by artist Margriet Craens and designer Lucas Maasse. CEDE GALLERY will explore “the body” in a photography exhibition by Nani Cardenas and Mariú Palacios. Uprise Art will present abstract works on paper and raw canvas by Brooklyn-based artists Ky Anderson and Vicki Sher that share a quiet dialogue of repetition, loose symmetry, and muted color. Antonio Colombo Arte Contemporanea will offer a look at the disorienting imagery created by Giuliano Sale and Fred Stonehouse in a dialogue entitledIntrusive Thoughts. Painting between Anxiety and Escapism and Simeen Farhat and Derrick Velasquez will exhibit vibrant layered wall structures exploring rhythm, tension and gravity for Pentimenti Gallery.

PULSE continues to showcase an array of thought-provoking paintings by a diverse group of emerging and established artists. First time exhibitor Bradley Wood will present a voyeuristic series of Nabis-styled portraits on behalf of SIM SMITH Gallery. Returning favorite, Jean-Pierre Roy of Gallery Poulsen will present his latest figure portraits along with the animalistic story-telling paintings by newcomer Mu Pan. Davidson Contemporarywill exhibit strong presentations by Sam Messenger and Boo Saville. Jaq Chartier will showcase his experimental and highly pigmented stain paintings for William Baczek Fine Art and Thierry Goldberg Gallery will present gouache, tea and watercolor paintings in a solo exhibition by Pakistani artist, Hiba Schahbaz.

Strong photography presentations include digitally compiled urban landscapes by Tom Leighton and Fabiano Parisi’s dramatic abandoned interiors, both artists represented by Cynthia Corbett Gallery. Twenty-year old Tony Gum will present a vivid series of self-portraits that fuse her African heritage with Western culture forChristopher Moller Gallery. Sophia Pompéry captures the delicacy of everyday occurrences in her presentation for Wagner + Partner alongside notable photographer Thomas Wrede who manipulates composition and lighting to create mysterious landscapes. Irby Pace will showcase his colorfully injected smoke clouds and Ukranian photography duo Synchrodogs will display a new series of “supernatural” portraits and landscapes, both on behalf of Galleri Urbane Marfa + Dallas.

PULSE New York features a number of three-dimensional wall sculptures such as the intricate hand-cut steel carving by Samantha Holmes, presented by JHB Gallery and the 9-piece “puzzle” soft sculpture by Elio Rodriguez on behalf of 532 Gallery Thomas Jaeckel. PULSE Prize Nominee, Isidro Blasco of Black & White Gallery will install a large-scale architectural photo sculpture among smaller constructed wall pieces. Emerson Dorsch will display a multi-angled mirrored sculpture by PULSE Prize nominee Brookhart Jonquil. Juneau Projects will present sculptural hand-painted oak necklaces by PITT PROJECTS and Steven Siegel will showcase a 78-piece mixed media installation presented by CYNTHIA-REEVES.

Other notable works include Ryan McGiness’s newest print series, Mother & Child presented by Lower East Side Printshop, Nicola Bolla’s crystal Swarovski snake shown by Galerie Italienne, a printmaking exhibition by arts organization Visual AIDS, and an exhibition of large-scale sculpture, painting and collage created by MFA graduates and curated by Jasmine Wahi for SVA Galleries.

PLAY, the fair’s dedicated platform for new media and video works within the digital realm, is guest curated byJoey Lico, Independent Curator and Director of Programming for The Cultivist. Her selections, filtered through the theme of “ritual,” will include Les Joynes, Shapeshifter courtesy of 532 Gallery Thomas Jaeckel, Zachary Fabri, Forget me not, as my tether is clipped courtesy of Garis & Hahn and Leif Huron, The Valley courtesy of Uprise Art. PULSE’s multi-dimensional programming will include daily PERSPECTIVES talks, bringing prominent industry leaders into conversation, including Katy Donoghue, Editor of Whitewall and Hrag Vartanian, Hyperallergic Co-Founder and Editor-in-chief. Topics will include the art of collecting, Art and Revolution and an in-depth discussion on artistic exchange moderated by Sherry Dobbin in collaboration with Times Square Arts and Cuban Artists Fund. PROJECTS, PULSE’s large-scale sculpture and installation platform, will feature a composite of metallic “pixels” by British artist Mia Taylor and a multi-dimensional hand-stitched piece by Jason Willaford courtesy of Galleri Urbane Marfa + Dallas located at the fair’s entry. Artist Macon Reed will present a free standing large-scale installation Eulogy For The Dyke Bar presented by Mackin Projects, featuring a fully functioning bar and daily performances

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