In a rare show of political solidarity for the art world, a growing number of New York galleries will close on Friday, January 30, as part of the nationwide general strike protesting expanded Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. These actions come amid global scrutiny over the use of deadly force against protestors and allegations that federal tactics are eroding constitutional rights, including protections for free expression and due process.
Industry heavyweights, such as Pace Gallery, which will close its US locations, David Zwirner, Almine Rech, P·P·O·W Gallery, David Kordansky, and Marian Goodman—alongside smaller outfits like Ulterior, Hannah Traore, and Hesse Flatow—have aligned with businesses and cultural institutions, such as LA’s Institute of Contemporary Art, in opposition to Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, with a flashpoint emerging in Minneapolis after the fatal shootings of Renée Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents.
Scattered reports of federal overreach—including the detention of US citizens and Native Americans, the barring of lawmakers and attorneys from ICE facilities, and fraught debates over the definition of domestic terrorism—have fueled nationwide outrage, which is expected to converge on the streets tomorrow in what could be among the largest civilian mobilizations in modern American history.
The speed and scale of participation from a generally apolitical art world underscores the crisis, said Scott Ogden of Shrine Gallery. “I have not seen such widespread banding together by the art industry and galleries in a long time, if ever,” Ogden noted.
“This remarkable immediacy and momentum of participation—I’m reminded of Day With(out) Art organized in ’89 by Visual AIDs,” said Alexander Gray, of Alexander Gray Associates in Lower Manhattan. “That was before the internet, so it took a lot more to coordinate across the country,” said Gray, who worked at Visual AIDS at the time. Gray told ARTnews that he and members of his team were in Minneapolis at the time of Good’s killing for Dyani White Hawk, who has a solo exhibition on view at the Walker Art Center.
“The energy in Minneapolis was palpable,” Gray said, noting that the recent federal immigration surge has had a profound impact on local tribal communities. ICE’s detention of enrolled Native Americans, who have distinct treaty protections and sovereignty, has forced some to hide indoors. “This is how autocracy emerges—very quickly. But what’s inspiring is how solidarity emerged just as fast.”
Also in Tribeca, James Cohan and Jane Lombard have also announced plans to shutter on Friday. And in Chelsea, Gladstone Gallery and Galerie Lelong & Co. will likewise close for the day. Mary Sabbatino, vice president and partner of Galerie Lelong & Co., told ARTnews: “We are proud to represent many artists that foreground political engagement and activism in their work, and who believe in the power of non-violent protest. We felt it important to join in this act of solidarity.”
Carol Greene, founder of Greene Naftali, told ARTnews, “I am deeply inspired by the bravery shown by people in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and across the country to protect their neighbors and those most vulnerable. If participating in this action can help us move our society closer to abolishing ICE, we have to try.”
Wendy Olsoff, co-founder and principal of P•P•O•W, echoed Greene’s sentiment: “Joining the nationwide shutdown against ICE felt like an obvious decision given the legacy of the gallery’s program and the importance of showing solidarity with our artists, staff members, and those in the broader P·P·O·W community.” Olsoff added that the gallery will be directly involved in the protest. “As we did in 2010, in protest of the censorship of David Wojnarowicz’s artwork at the Smithsonian, and again in 2017 with the Women’s March after Trump’s first election, P·P·O·W is providing space and materials to staff and artists to create posters and protest art prior to the march at Foley Square.”
The wave of solidarity has even reached across the Atlantic Ocean: Brigitte Mulholland, of the eponymous gallery in Paris, will close her doors, too. “I’m an American immigrant living in France. I grew up in New York, proud to live in the great Melting Pot. My ancestors fled there to escape famine, persecution, war,” Mulholland wrote on Instagram. “The gallery will be closed tomorrow in solidarity, and I will not be spending any money with US companies as well.”
The following galleries are reported to be closing on Friday, January 30, in solidarity with the national strike. If your gallery or art institution is closing, email [email protected] to be added.
Alexander Gray Associates
Almine Rech
Andrew Kreps Gallery
Anonymous Gallery
Bridget Donahue
Brigitte Mulholland (Paris)
Casey Kaplan
Charles Moffett
Chart
Cristin Tierney
Cue Art
David Zwirner (New York and Los Angeles)
Dimin Gallery
Gagosian (New York and Los Angeles)
Galerie Lelong
Greene Naftali
Half Gallery
Hannah Traore
Hesse Flatow
Hoffman Donahue
James Cohan
Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery
Jane Lombard
Kordansky (New York and Los Angeles)
Kravets Wehby
Kurimanzutto NY
Lehmann Maupin
Luhring Augustine
Magenta Plains
Management
Mendes Wood
Michael Werner
Nazarian/Curcio
Olney Gleason
Paula Cooper
Paula Cooper Gallery
P·P·O·W Gallery
Regen Projects (Los Angeles)
Sean Kelly (New York and Los Angeles)
Shrine Gallery
Swivel Gallery
Sikkema Malloy Jenkins
The Empty Circle
Tanya Bonakdar Gallery
Uffner & Liu
Ulterior Gallery
White Cube
