The 15th edition of Frieze New York (13-17 May) will bring together 68 galleries from more than 25 countries, underscoring the fair’s increasingly international scope. Held once again at the Shed, the fair will feature 57 exhibitors in its main section and 11 in Focus, dedicated to galleries operating for 12 years or fewer. Nearly half of the participants maintain a New York location.
This year’s edition sees a number of first-time participants, including Europa, Sargent’s Daughters, Soft Opening, Ulrik and W-galería. There is a marked rise in Latin American representation, with 14 galleries from the region.
“I’ve watched the evolution of the fair over the years,” says Christine Messineo, Frieze’s director of fairs for the Americas. “I’m really proud of how international it feels now. This year, it felt particularly important to foreground that sensibility.” She points to strong participation from Brazil, Argentina and across Latin America as evidence of this shift.
The Brazilian contingent has definitely become more expansive
Among the newcomers is Campeche, a young gallery from Mexico City participating in the Focus section. Messineo first encountered the gallery through visits to local collections in Mexico City. Campeche will present large-scale graphite drawings and concrete works by Abraham González Pacheco, whose practice draws on tequitqui, a 16th-century Mexican artistic tradition that merges Spanish Christian and Indigenous influences. The presentation reflects the fair audience’s appetite for ambitious projects by emerging artists, Messineo says.
Strong Latin American showing
Also debuting is Isla Flotante, a Buenos Aires-based gallery with a second space in São Paulo. Its presentation centres on Rosario Zorraquín, an Argentinian artist based in New York, whose work explores perception through layered compositions of translucent fabrics. These installations shift in response to light and the viewer’s movement, producing subtly changing visual experiences.
Meanwhile, Central, a São Paulo gallery, will exhibit sculptures by Bruno Cançado. His works combine organic materials such as stone and wood with industrial elements including concrete and steel, resulting in compositions that probe the tension between natural and constructed forms.
Brazilian galleries, Messineo notes, have long had a presence at the fair, though their participation has broadened in recent years. “There has always been a strong Brazilian contingent but it has definitely become more expansive,” she says.
The commercial outlook for the fair remains difficult to predict. External factors, like geopolitical instability, fluctuations in oil prices and volatility in financial markets, continue to shift suddenly and shape the art market in complex ways.
“It’s not as though there’s a crystal ball,” Messineo says. “But if we look at our most recent experience with Frieze Los Angeles, there was a clear sense of resilience and eagerness to engage in the art market.”
