As the Deputy Director of the New Museum, Isolde Brielmaier is certainly our compass for “must-dos” during the spring art fair season in New York. Here, she shared with Whitewall how these weeks in May are all about connections, from catching up with gallerists from other cities presenting at the fairs, or making sure to visit brilliant shows like “Harlem Renaissance” at The Met or Deidrick Brackens at Jack Shainman.
WHITEWALL: Within your role at the New Museum, what are you looking forward to in New York in May during the fairs?
ISOLDE BRIELMAIER: Connection! One of the best things about NYC art fairs week is that people from near and far—artists, colleagues, collectors etc – are out and about in the city and it is a great opportunity to connect with folks and catch up on all things art and life.
WW: What do you have your eye on at the fairs?
IB: It’s nice to see out of town galleries and artists at the fairs. I popped by Patron Gallery (Chicago) as well as Stevenson (South Africa)—I love both of these galleries and their artists and don’t get to see them often. Spending time with them in their booths is wonderful and offers a chance to talk about art, artists and life in places outside of NYC.
WW: What are the exhibitions on your must-see list?
IB: There are so many—where to begin? Teresita Fernández just opened a beautiful show at Lehmann Maupin. It’s the first time she has presented a film and it is so poetic. Diedrick Brackens at Jack Shainman, the brilliant “Harlem Renaissance” exhibition at The Met, the 2024 Whitney Biennial are all exhibitions to see and discuss with your friends
WW: Where are you go-to places to grab a bite or drink after the fairs/opening?
IB: The list is long and includes the usual Chelsea spots like Cookshop. But one of my absolute faves is Hav and Mar, where there is always a dynamic, creative and diverse crowd. And then often, after a full day of art, I like to retreat to Brooklyn where I enjoy a meal outdoors at Evelina or the very cool Sailor in Fort Greene.
Isolde Brielmaier’s New York Top 5
1. Teresita Fernández at Lehmann Maupin
Teresita Fernández, “Caribbean Cosmos(Earth) (Detail), ” 2023, glazed ceramic, 96 x 192 x 1.25 inches; courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Seoul, and London.
On April 25, Lehmann Maupin raised the curtain on a decadent exhibition of new pieces by New York-based creative Teresita Fernández. Throughout her long-standing, exploratory career, the artist has deeply considered the notion of the landscape, whether above or below. Here, Fernández focuses her gaze on the far reaches of the inner self for a grand and poetic journey into the soul and matter of humanity itself. “Where am I?” was the question permanently placed at the heart of “Soil Horizon,” juxtaposing the metaphysical and the material for a momentous conversation between mortality, spirituality, and our oneness with Mother Earth.
Two sweeping sculptural works, a ravishing series of copper relief panels, and the visionary’s first film are on display. The exhibition’s principal installation, Sky (Burial) comprises more than 7,500 ceramic cubes, meticulously glazed, conjuring the sensorial tones and textures of the earth’s genesis by way of mesmeric kiln-firing.
2. Diedrick Brackens at Jack Shainman
Installation view of “diedrick brackens: blood compass” at Jack Shainman in New York. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman.
Jack Shainman Gallery is pleased to present “blood compass,” a solo exhibition of new work by Diedrick Brackens. In these weavings, the artist maps an imagined place —visualizing the internal mechanisms and symbols that animate his work while removing the anchor of direct narrative. The scenes depicted in each weaving exist out of time, suspended between a distant past and a world to come. The works in this series are set at dusk, twilight, and deep night—hours that become vehicles for ritual and interiority. The silhouetted inhabitants of this in-between realm are archetypes that Brackens once described as ciphers, or “needles through which I slip the threads of biography and myth, and pass through a mesh of history and context.” — Source
3. The 2024 Whitney Biennial
Suzanne Jackson, “Rag-To-Wobble,” 2021. Acrylic, curtain lace, shredded mail, produce bag netting and wood, 65 x 84 x 4 in. (165.1 x 213.4 x 10.2 cm), courtesy of The Whitney.
The Whitney Biennial, the longest-running survey of American art now in its eighty-first iteration, reckons with an evolving cultural landscape– one in which our digital life challenges the institution’s place as the prominent delivery system for the state of contemporary art. For most of us, the physical space of a museum or gallery isn’t as present in our everyday lives as the massive quantities of digital matter we consume. The Biennial reckons with that truth, in part, by offering a selection of exceedingly tactile, temporary, and even urgent pieces that can only be understood in the flesh, right now.
4. Hav and Mar in Chelsea
Courtesy of Hav and Mar.
Hav & Mar is a vibrant seafood house from Chef Marcus Samuelsson located in the renowned arts district of Chelsea, NYC. The stunning dining room and dazzling bar, a mix of contemporary and classical design, features original work by award-winning artist Derrick Adams. Chef Samuelsson and Executive Chef Fariyal Abdullahi’s energetic and globally inspired menu focuses on thoughtfully sourced seafood and seasonal greenmarket produce. —Source
5. Sailor in Fort Greene
Photo by Evan Sung, courtesy of Sailor.
Sailor is a neighborhood bistro in Fort Greene Brooklyn, celebrating Chef April Bloomfield’s menu of elevated takes on familiar dishes. At the heart of the restaurant, a deep wine list ranges from easy drinkers, through classics and funkier selections. Tying it all together is the warm service that Happy Cooking Hospitality has become known for. —Source
