NADA New York Feels Fresh With a Focus on Activism and Reflection

This year, the fair’s gift shop—The NADA Shop—is featuring a limited-edition Print All Over Me line of artist-designed apparel and accessories, from artists that participated in the fair’s Contemporary Drag program, curated by Gordon Robichaux. Called “NADA x PAOM.” The collaboration included artists like Chris of Hur, Jimmy Paul, Juwelia, La’Fem Ladosha, Lady Bunny, Linda Simpson, Patti Spliff, Sasha Velour, Tabboo!, and Tyler Ashley.

“NADA is always looking for new ways to bring contemporary art to the public on behalf of our international exhibitors and membership base,” said Heather Hubbs, Executive Director of NADA.

At the show, we first saw L’Inconnue (Montreal), with a solo show of works by Alex Morrison. The artist showed ceramic sculptures and medium-density fiberboard works (including a colorful bench) that are digitally composed, printed, and cut. Nicole Klagsbrun (New York) presented a gorgeous new ceramic piece entitled With Their Inners Woven (2017) by Brie Ruais and a series of acrylic and ink on clayboard panels by Lee Quinones. At Klemm’s (Berlin) were five realistic sculptures of hands in gloves by Émilie Pitoiset.

There was a suite of Hamptons-esque seating at Whitechapel Gallery (London) with artist Mary Heilmann’s painted plywood chairs in pink and yellow—made especially for the gallery. Fort Gansevoort (New York) presented Josh Safdie’s large Xerox, urethane, and enamel on plywood and Masonite pieces that read “It’s Always Bigger Than You Think” and “Strive To Be Buried Alive.” LAND (Los Angeles) offered an activist lean, showing a silver saucer-like work that read “PROTEST” by Iván Navarro, an oversized “Do Not Disturb” door hanger piece by Amanda Ross-Ho, and printed tee-shirts with varying graphics and sayings by Bettina Hubby, Eve Fowler, and Matthew Brannon.

Some sculptures with altered and separated body parts by shapes and objects at Nicelle Beauchene Gallery (New York) by Bruce M. Sherman also caught our eye. Galerie Parisa Kind (Frankfurt) showed two chair-like sculptures by Hannah Levy in steel and latex with a zipper. CAPITAL (New York) presented a rainbow-like installation that made you stop and stare by Justin Morin and Bill Jenkins. We saw self-indulgence in the form of large doughnuts, guitars, baseball caps, pizza, pipes, piña coladas, and joints at Proyectos Ultravioleta (Guatemala City) by Puerto Rican artist Radamés “Juni” Figueroa. Company Gallery (New York) reaffirmed a loud-and-proud woman’s voice with their female sculptures, such as the one by Cajsa von Zeipel, which was seen towering over in platform shoes, casually resting her left hand in her pocket, and using her right hand to twirl her hair.

“Viewing Room” (New York), one of NADA’s special projects, was built as a closed wooden door with a circular glass opening big enough to view an work by Dale Chihuly by brothers Oscar Tuazon and Elias Hansen. There was also 247365 (New York)’s offering of playful art with LED lights and art with musical note movements by Jessie Stead. Neochrome (Turin) presented a solo show of paintings, based on the effects of collapsing imagery resulting from the flow of history, by Stephanie Hier.

For this year’s edition, too, Kickstarter partnered with NADA to present a series of conversations, events, and performances, which you can find taking place in the entryways space, near The NADA Shop. The audio from the series, NADA Presents, is also streaming live and is archived on know-wave.com.