The Armory Show returns for the 27th iteration with a VIP preview on September 9, open to the public from September 10—12, taking place for the first time in its new home at the Javits Center. The 2021 hybrid in-person/online edition of the fair will see 212 exhibitors from 37 countries in total spread across the main galleries sector, along with a roster of programming like the new SOLO section and the FOCUS, PRESENTS, and PLATFORM sectors.
Happening simultaneously, 157 galleries will be bringing physical presentations on-site in New York, while the remaining exhibitors will share their shows exclusively through the digital platform Armory Online, which has been developed with the help of Artlogic. Featuring a floorplan conceived by architects Frederick Fisher and Partners, the in-person portion of the fair has been planned in accordance with the city’s health regulations to ensure the safest experience possible.
Photo by Teddy Wolff, courtesy of The Armory Show.
“This September will be the perfect time to visit as the city’s cultural life reawakens,” said the fair’s Executive Director, Nicole Berry. “While we are disappointed that continued restrictions have made it impossible for some of our international galleries to exhibit in-person this year, we are delighted to have their continued participation in our online platform, and we look forward to welcoming them back to The Armory Show in 2022. Meanwhile, we are thrilled to welcome a fantastic selection of exhibitors from across the world and more than 7,500 confirmed VIPs to our new venue this fall.”
Fairgoers won’t want to miss the large-scale installations featured in the PLATFORM sector, which has been curated this year by Claudia Schmuckli, the Curator-in-Charge of Contemporary Art and Programming at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Centered around the theme “Can you hear the fault lines breathing?,” viewers will find works from the artists Benny Andrews, Julian Charrière, Diana Al-Hadid, Yinka Shonibare CBE, Tau Lewis, Grayson Perry, Cammie Staros, and Michael Rakowitz, which approach divisive problems in the present-day related to social injustice, global relations, and cultural identity.
Photo by Teddy Wolff, courtesy of The Armory Show.
“In a world in the grip of climate change and haunted by biological and social viruses that are decimating populations and dividing societies, this year’s Platform seeks to capture the breadth of the fault lines that currently define our existence,” said Schmuckli.
In the new SOLO section, viewers will find presentations from local names including Half Gallery, Charles Moffett, Aicon Contemporary, Pierogi,and P.P.O.W. Gallery, alongside international galleries like South Africa’s SMAC, the Stockholm and Paris-based Andréhn-Schiptjenko, and Berlin’s LOOCK Galerie. Meanwhile, Wassan Al-Khudhairi, the Chief Curator of the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis has selected for FOCUS a lineup including galleries like Luis De Jesus Los Angeles, Toronto’s Daniel Faria Gallery and Franz Kaka, MAIA Contemporary from Mexico City, Monique Meloche Gallery of Chicago, and CURRO from Guadalajara.
Other presenters to look out for, whether in-person or online, include established and emerging names like Library Street Collective, Marlborough, Victoria Miro, SOCO Gallery, Sorry We’re Closed, Rachel Uffner Gallery, VIELMETTER LOS ANGELES, Night Gallery, Yossi Milo Gallery, Ludorff, Josh Lilley, Kohn Gallery, Mariane Ibrahim Gallery, INGLEBY, Galleri Brandstrup,and Shulamit Nazarian.
Photo by Teddy Wolff, courtesy of The Armory Show.
