Data Spotlight: Artists to Watch at New York’s May 2023 Fairs
Peak New York art season is upon us. In addition to a raft of galas, marquee auctions, and gallery openings, the city is set to play host to a full slate of art fairs across the next two weeks, including six we’re eyeing closely: Frieze, NADA, Independent, 1-54, Future Fair, and TEFAF.
Using our in-house data, we’ve looked at the confirmed artists whose work will be exhibited at the fairs and measured their year-over-year growth in followers on Artsy. The results show the artists whose profiles have risen the most, but they also highlight the nuances between each of these art fairs, as well as the richness and breadth of talent that will be showcased across the city. Discover the artists below, and browse our collection of their works on Artsy.
Future Fair
May 10–13, Chelsea Industrial, 535 West 28th Street
Future Fair kicks off the fair season with its third in-person edition, featuring 54 exhibitors in Chelsea. The fair emphasizes approachability and accessibility, and its exhibitors tend to be on the younger and more emerging side of the art market.
It’s not surprising, then, that the names above reflect some sharp rises in profile over the last year. American artist Emily Weiner, whose symbol-laden paintings will be exhibited by Nashville-based Red Arrow Gallery, leads the list with a hefty leap in followers on the platform. She’s one of six names above that have experienced a triple-digit year-over-year increase in followers on Artsy.
Independent New York
May 11–14, Spring Studios, 50 Varick Street
Independent New York’s 14th edition will feature more than 120 artists and 74 global galleries and nonprofits. The fair is renowned for its tight curation: Galleries participate on an invite-only basis, and it’s developed a strong track record for nurturing emerging talent.
Robert Zehnder, known for his distinctive landscape paintings, tops the list above. Eight works by the Brooklyn-based artist will be exhibited in a solo display from Queens-based gallery Mrs. Zehnder is followed by rising Korean artist Guimi You, whose works will be on display in Montreal gallery Bradley Ertaskiran’s booth.
TEFAF New York
May 12–16, Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Avenue
Founded in 1988, The European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF) is renowned for showcasing a near peerless cross-section of fine arts, antiques, and design, tracing more than 7,000 years of art history. Following a successful, full-scale return to Maastricht in March, the fair’s New York edition trades some of the Old Master characteristics of its Dutch counterpart for a more contemporary focus. Still, the main emphasis at the Park Avenue Armory will be on the more established side of the art market.
This fact is highlighted by the relatively subdued percentage rises in followers for artists at the fair, as well as the more recognizable names above. Painter Sam Szafran takes the number-one spot here. The late French artist is part of a shared display from the London gallery Waddington Custot, which will also feature names such as Karel Appel and Sheila Hicks in its booth.
Frieze New York
May 17–21, The Shed, 545 West 30th Street
Headlining the second week of New York’s May fairs is Frieze, which is hosting its 11th edition in New York. The fair will bring more than 60 galleries from 27 countries to The Shed in Hudson Yards. In addition to the usual blue-chip galleries that are a staple of the fair’s offering, the freshest names can be found in Frieze’s Focus section, which returns with a series of solo presentations from galleries that have been in operation for under 12 years.
Emma Prempeh tops the list above. The British artist (with Ghanaian and Vincentian heritage) will be featured in her first solo fair booth by the London- and Lagos-based gallery Tiwani Contemporary. Prempeh is followed by Korean artist Mire Lee, whose works have been showstoppers at institutions and biennials across the globe recently, and will be a part of Tina Kim Gallery’s presentation at Frieze New York.
1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair
May 18–21, 439 West 127th Street
1-54 was founded a decade ago as the first and only international art fair dedicated entirely to contemporary African art. Since then, the fair has held editions in London, Marrakech, New York, and Paris. This year’s New York edition returns to Harlem, this time within the Manhattanville Factory District, with 26 galleries presenting more than 80 artists from Africa and its diaspora.
Of the artists confirmed at the fair, Malian artist Ange Dakouo has seen the largest increase in Artsy followers over the past year. Dakouo is part of a group presentation from the Ivory Coast’s LouiSimone Guirandou Gallery, which also features work by Alun Be, Pedro Pires, and Ablade Glover.
NADA New York
May 18–21, 548 West 22nd Street
The New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) is a nonprofit collective of contemporary art professionals working with a shared mission of making contemporary art more accessible and supporting emerging artists, curators, and galleries. The ninth edition of NADA’s New York fair, taking place at 548 West 22nd Street in Chelsea, will feature 88 galleries, including 31 first-time exhibitors.
Featured first in the list above is Claudia Keep, who will be a part of a group presentation from Detroit gallery Reyes | Finn. She’s followed by Kristof Santy, another emerging name who is exhibiting with Brussels-based gallery Sorry We’re Closed.
Browse works by the featured artists on Artsy.
Correction: A previous version of this article contained a data error in the “Trending Artists at Independent New York 2023” chart. The chart has been updated.
