PHOTOFAIRS New York Announces Exhibitor and Program Highlights for its Inaugural Edition

PHOTOFAIRS New York, the new contemporary art fair dedicated to photo-based and digital artworks, today announces details of exhibitor and program highlights for its inaugural edition. Organized by Creo and its majority shareholder Angus Montgomery Arts, and in collaboration with Candlestar, the fair takes place at the Javits Center from September 8-10, 2023 (VIP Preview on September 7) and adds a new and distinct dimension to the global art fair landscape.

Alongside its booth presentations, PHOTOFAIRS New York features a range of dynamic special projects, large-scale installations, publishing projects, and an annual acquisition prize for exhibiting artists, established in partnership with 21c Museum Hotels. Visitors have the opportunity to explore an array of highly-curated presentations, from surveys considering the craft and materiality of photography, to its intersections with emerging technologies. More than one third of the fair is dedicated to solo presentations, providing the chance to discover up-and-coming image-makers, as well as in-depth showcases of renowned photographers. Running alongside The Armory Show, PHOTOFAIRS New York cements the first week of September as the annual pulse point on New York’s arts calendar.

“We are so excited to bring together such a variety of organizations and artists, offering an expansive and forward-thinking view of photography and image-making,” says Helen Toomer, Director, PHOTOFAIRS New York. “Our exhibitors and partners are truly invested in the new platform that PHOTOFAIRS New York provides for their programs and their artists, and we are looking forward to our first of many annual convenings.”

EXHIBITOR HIGHLIGHTS

PHOTOFAIRS New York’s debut edition welcomes a highly curated selection of exhibitors from more than 20 cities around the world—from renowned photography dealers to interdisciplinary contemporary art galleries and organizations at the forefront of emerging technologies.

More than a third of the fair is devoted to solo presentations. Highlights include: HESSE FLATOW’s presentation of Adama Delphine Fawundu, whose practice explores themes of ancestral memory; Nil Gallery’s presentation of works by Caleb Kwarteng Prah, blending street photography and archives to portray contemporary Ghana; portraits from Katsu Naito’s Once in Harlem series, exhibited at The Fridge; Praise Shadows Gallery‘s presentation of Nicole Wilson’s project Ötzi, which reconciles ancient and contemporary tattoo practices; Elliot & Erick Jiménez’s showcase of works personifying deities and saints in Yoruba and Catholic syncretism, presented by Spinello Projects; a selection of Maleonn’s photographs and installations at Shun Art Gallery; and Momentum’s presentation of cinematic landscapes from Ole Marius Joergensen’s latest series.

Many of this year’s solo and dual presentations spotlight the work of artists examining the craft and materiality of photography. 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; Delphine Diallo’s new series Golden Age, unveiled in Fisheye Gallery’s 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.

Several exhibitors present new digital projects and 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 artists including Marina Zurkow, Quayola, and LaJuné McMillian, who engage new technologies to interrogate themes of identity, representation, and environment; and TRANSFER’s showcase of Huntrezz Janos’ face filters, which explore the mythology of self through augmented reality.

21C ACQUISITION PRIZE

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 is 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.

SPECIAL PROJECTS AND PROGRAMMINGComplementing the booth presentations are special projects from the fair’s programming partners. Fotografiska presents a special installation of recent portraits by Cara Romero that explore ideas of Indigeneity and Futurism. The artist collective For Freedoms presents artwork from a select group of their Fellows whose practices focus on photography, and 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. Center of Photography at Woodstock showcases the work of Tommy Kha, the recipient of the organization’s 2023 Emerging Artist Award, while Baxter St at the Camera Club of New York presents modern prometheus III by Emma Safir, an alumnus of their Guest Curatorial Program.

A series of artist spotlights and installations activate the expansive fair space, including: artist and computer developer Daniel Rozin’s special project RGB Lights Mirror, presented by bitforms, in which aluminum knobs and lights are manipulated to respond to the perspective of the viewer; Robert Mann Gallery’s presentation of Sayler/Morris’ Eclipse, a site-specific animation and soundscape commemorating the lost species of the passenger pigeon; Throned, a mobile photo-installation by Tiffany Smith presented by TERN Gallery that creates a meditative setting for participants to have their portrait taken; Jackson Fine Art showcases The Mind-Baby Problem, a sculptural presentation of Tabitha Soren’s intimate exploration of the bond between mother and newborn; and Rolf Art Gallery’s presentation of Andrés Denegri’s Uprising, a large-scale installation merging photochemical images, filmstrips and projectors to resemble a large kinetic machine.

Throughout the weekend, the fair hosts a dynamic conversation series convening a group of thought leaders in dialogue about issues and relevant topics in the field. Programming partners include 21c Museum Hotels; Aperture; Artwrld; Baxter St at the Camera Club of New York; Center for Photography at Woodstock; The Cultivist; Dear Dave, Magazine; Fotografiska; Gagosian Quarterly; International Center of Photography; Jamaica Art Society; and Printed Matter, Inc. A complete schedule of talks and participants will be announced in the coming weeks.