In Chelsea, where galleries, studios, and creative offices continue to shape the rhythm of downtown culture, a new exhibition titled “26TH AND 10TH” offers a layered meditation on art, identity, and atmosphere. Presented by BILLYCLARK and Paris-based advisory _POLIMENO, the exhibition transforms a loft at 516 West 26th Street into something between a lived-in apartment, a collector’s fantasy, and a cinematic stage set. On view from May 11 through 23, the presentation gathers works spanning centuries and disciplines, creating unexpected conversations between collectible design, contemporary art, photography, sculpture, and historical objects.
Curated by Valerio Polimeno, the exhibition builds on ideas first introduced during _POLIMENO’s 2025 Art Basel Paris presentation “Room with a View.” Here, those ideas take on a distinctly New York energy. Rather than organizing works according to chronology or medium, “26TH AND 10TH” unfolds through mood and association. A Roman marble sculpture stands against floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city skyline, while photographs by Peter Schlesinger hang near sculptural furniture by Robert Wilson and Misha Kahn. Across the loft, works by Danh Vo, Tom Wesselmann, Agnes Questionmark, and Line Vautrin create a visual language rooted equally in intimacy and spectacle.
A Chelsea Loft Becomes an Immersive Environment
Installation view of 26TH AND 10TH an exhibition by _POLIMENO and BILLYCLARK.
What makes “26TH AND 10TH” especially compelling is the way the exhibition embraces the architecture and psychology of the Chelsea loft itself. Venetian blinds divide spaces into cinematic frames, while reflective surfaces, darkened corners, and carefully placed lighting allow works to emerge gradually throughout the experience. The installation never feels overly polished or static. Instead, it evokes a space in transition—part residence, part gallery, part dreamscape.
That atmosphere is amplified by the mix of objects on view. Jean Prouvé’s rare SCAL No. 450 Bed, with Swivelling Tablet anchors one corner with its restrained modernist elegance, while nearby, Danh Vo’s Mamy Poko Pants Diapers transforms an everyday object into a shimmering gold-leaf meditation on value and symbolism.
Elsewhere, a Roman statue of Asclepius overlooks the city from a pedestal near the windows, reinforcing the exhibition’s ongoing tension between antiquity and contemporary life. Agnes Questionmark’s haunting beeswax Self-Portrait introduces another layer of vulnerability and physicality, while Robert Wilson’s minimalist steel Pierre Curie Chair feels almost architectural in its severe geometry.
Historic and Contemporary Works Enter Conversation
Installation view of 26TH AND 10TH an exhibition by _POLIMENO and BILLYCLARK.
Installation view of 26TH AND 10TH an exhibition by _POLIMENO and BILLYCLARK.
One of the exhibition’s strengths lies in how seamlessly historic works coexist with contemporary practices. Rather than treating older works as static references, Polimeno positions them as active participants within the visual dialogue.
Peter Schlesinger’s intimate photographs—including portraits of Amanda Lear, Andy Warhol, Rex Reed, and David Hockney—bring a sense of personal history and glamour to the presentation. Captured decades ago, the images retain an immediacy that feels remarkably current within the exhibition’s broader exploration of image-making and identity.
Similarly, Line Vautrin’s mid-century jewelry and objects introduce craftsmanship and ornamentation into the conversation. Her gilt-bronze bracelets, mirrored necklaces, and sculptural hand mirrors add texture and material richness, while also reinforcing the exhibition’s interest in intimacy and adornment.
Contemporary works push these ideas further. Misha Kahn’s colorful Fruit Snacks on the Dash chair injects humor and surrealism into the otherwise restrained installation, while Elizabeth Jaeger’s ceramic bird sculptures bring a quiet, almost uncanny presence to the darker corners of the loft.
The Growing Vision of _POLIMENO and BILLYCLARK
Installation view of 26TH AND 10TH an exhibition by _POLIMENO and BILLYCLARK.
Beyond the objects themselves, “26TH AND 10TH” also signals the evolving ambitions of both _POLIMENO and BILLYCLARK. According to the accompanying press materials, the collaboration reflects a broader interest in creating cultural ecosystems that blur the boundaries between art, design, fashion, branding, and lived experience.
Polimeno describes the project as part of a larger shift in how audiences engage with culture today—less focused on ownership alone and more interested in participation, narrative, and emotional resonance. That philosophy is evident throughout the exhibition. Rather than functioning as a conventional sales presentation, “26TH AND 10TH” feels immersive and deeply personal, encouraging viewers to move slowly and make unexpected connections between objects, materials, and histories.
The result is one of the more visually sophisticated and emotionally nuanced presentations currently on view in New York. At a moment when many exhibitions lean heavily on spectacle, “26TH AND 10TH” succeeds through atmosphere, restraint, and carefully constructed tension. The show captures something essential about Chelsea itself: a neighborhood continuously shaped by reinvention, memory, and the artists who pass through it.
Installation view of 26TH AND 10TH an exhibition by _POLIMENO and BILLYCLARK.
Installation view of 26TH AND 10TH an exhibition by _POLIMENO and BILLYCLARK.
