Emerging Artists With Solo Shows in NYC (May 2026)
10 emerging artists have solo shows in NYC galleries in May 2026 — debuts, first New York solo presentations, and recent-MFA exhibitions across Chelsea, the Lower East Side, Tribeca, and beyond. Below: the shows, the artists, the galleries, and the dates.
1. Mothers of Time by Amorelle Jacox at Management
- Show
- Mothers of Time
- Artist
- Amorelle Jacox
- Gallery
- Management
- Address
- 39 East Broadway, Chinatown
- On view
- Apr 29, 2026 – Jun 8, 2026
Mothers of Time is at Management, 39 East Broadway, Chinatown, on view Apr 29 – Jun 8, 2026. Management is pleased to present Mothers of Time, Amorelle Jacox's debut solo exhibition with the gallery, on view in New York. Rooted in metaphysics, Jacox's painting practice navigates the relationship between the self and the cosmic through a unique synthesis of color field, transcendentalist, surrealist, and symbolist influences.
Plan thirty minutes minimum at Management — the works reward time. The gallery is closed Mondays.
2. Land Before Time: Three Dinosaurs and a Gondola by John Chamberlain at Amanita
- Artist
- John Chamberlain
- Gallery
- Amanita
- Address
- 313 Bowery, NoHo
- On view
- May 9, 2026 – Aug 10, 2026
Land Before Time: Three Dinosaurs and a Gondola is at Amanita, 313 Bowery, NoHo, on view May 9 – Aug 10, 2026. Amanita is pleased to present, Land Before Time: Three Dinosaurs and a Gondola, an exhibition pairing three complete Maiasaura fossil specimens with Gondola Marianne Moore by John Chamberlain. This marks the first time a family group of Maiasaura dinosaurs has been exhibited together.
Through August 10, 2026. Amanita keeps standard NYC gallery hours, Tuesday through Saturday.
3. Amongst the Living by Sam Falls at 303 Gallery
- Artist
- Sam Falls
- Gallery
- 303 Gallery
- Address
- 555 West 21st Street, Chelsea
- On view
- Apr 24, 2026 – May 31, 2026
Amongst the Living is at 303 Gallery, 555 West 21st Street, Chelsea, on view Apr 24 – May 31, 2026. 303 Gallery is pleased to present our fourth solo exhibition by Sam Falls, bringing together a new body of work incorporating painting, ceramics, and photography. “Arranging by chance To meet as far this morning From the world as agreeing With it, you and I Are suddenly what the trees try To tell us we are: That their merely being there Means something; that soon We may touch,…
Worth combining with the nearby galleries on the same block. 303 Gallery is closed Mondays.
4. Elite Fine Art by Tinmantis at Foreign & Domestic
- Show
- Elite Fine Art
- Artist
- Tinmantis
- Gallery
- Foreign & Domestic
- Address
- 24 Rutgers Street, Lower East Side
- On view
- May 22, 2026 – Jun 29, 2026
Elite Fine Art is at Foreign & Domestic, 24 Rutgers Street, Lower East Side, on view May 22 – Jun 29, 2026. He has slogans too. Things like: No friends, no trends. Did he make it up? He also likes to pose with weapons, but we'll get to that. A Testament In Defense of the Madman Known as Tinmantis I don't remember who first told me about Tinmantis, and I don't have time to figure it out. My memory is like a moldy Swiss cheese.
On view through June 29, 2026. Allow at least twenty minutes; the gallery is generally quietest on weekday afternoons.
5. Half in Love with Oblivion by Stephen Thorpe at DIMIN
- Artist
- Stephen Thorpe
- Gallery
- DIMIN
- Address
- 406 Broadway, Fl. 2, SoHo
- On view
- May 8, 2026 – Jun 14, 2026
Half in Love with Oblivion is at DIMIN, 406 Broadway, Fl. 2, SoHo, on view May 8 – Jun 14, 2026. "Those who travel to mountain tops are half in love with themselves, and half in love with oblivion" —Robert Macfarlane, Mountains of the Mind: A History of a Fascination Dimin is pleased to present Half in Love with Oblivion, an exhibition of new paintings by British-born, California-based artist Stephen Thorpe.
DIMIN is most easily reached by subway; check the gallery's hours before walking over, since most NYC galleries are closed Mondays.
6. Entrance by Zachary Armstrong & Jackson Maximo Armstrong at Entrance
Entrance is at Entrance, 48 Ludlow Street, Chinatown, on view Apr 23 – Jun 7, 2026. Entrance is pleased to present Entrance, a solo exhibition of new work by Zachary Armstrong, featuring a series of encaustic paintings installed within a site-specific intervention by Armstrong, on the gallery’s ground level.
Plan thirty minutes minimum at Entrance — the works reward time. The gallery is closed Mondays.
7. The Revenants of Our Founding Furies by Sedrick Chisom at Matthew Brown
- Artist
- Sedrick Chisom
- Gallery
- Matthew Brown
- Address
- 390 Broadway, Chinatown
- On view
- May 15, 2026 – Jun 16, 2026
The Revenants of Our Founding Furies is at Matthew Brown, 390 Broadway, Chinatown, on view May 15 – Jun 16, 2026. In these new paintings of Sedrick Chisom’s, his figures are more grounded than before. Their bodies have more weight and volume, a more solid outline—but many other parts of this world are merging. Imagined sights, hallucinations, representations of representations, events that took place but have since been forgotten, strings of letters – many different versions and…
Through June 16, 2026. Matthew Brown keeps standard NYC gallery hours, Tuesday through Saturday.
8. The Gracie Mansion Show by Peter Hujar at Ortuzar
- Artist
- Peter Hujar
- Gallery
- Ortuzar
- Address
- 5 White Street, Tribeca
- On view
- Apr 22, 2026 – May 31, 2026
The Gracie Mansion Show is at Ortuzar, 5 White Street, Tribeca, on view Apr 22 – May 31, 2026. Peter Hujar: The Gracie Mansion Show re-stages the now-legendary exhibition that took place in New York's East Village in 1986, one year before the artist's death. For the show, Gracie Mansion Gallery presents seventy photographs arranged in a long, two-row grid.
Worth combining with the nearby galleries on the same block. Ortuzar is closed Mondays.
9. Permanence by Jeremy Frey at Karma
- Show
- Permanence
- Artist
- Jeremy Frey
- Gallery
- Karma
- Address
- 549 West 26th Street, Chelsea
- On view
- May 12, 2026 – Jul 11, 2026
Permanence is at Karma, 549 West 26th Street, Chelsea, on view May 12 – Jul 11, 2026. Using primarily black ash and sweetgrass, Jeremy Frey innovates within the millennia-old tradition of Wabanaki basketry while maintaining its vital connection to the past. Permanence presents intricately patterned baskets and flat weaves made within the last year and debuts two new facets of his evolving practice.
On view through July 11, 2026. Allow at least twenty minutes; the gallery is generally quietest on weekday afternoons.
10. Landscape With Legs by Janet Werner at Anat Ebgi
- Artist
- Janet Werner
- Gallery
- Anat Ebgi
- Address
- 372 Broadway, Chinatown
- On view
- May 2, 2026 – Jun 14, 2026
Landscape With Legs is at Anat Ebgi, 372 Broadway, Chinatown, on view May 2 – Jun 14, 2026. Anat Ebgi is pleased to present Landscape With Legs, Janet Werner's first exhibition with the gallery in New York. The exhibition continues Werner's longstanding investigations in female portraiture that draw from both fashion imagery and art historical references.
Anat Ebgi is most easily reached by subway; check the gallery's hours before walking over, since most NYC galleries are closed Mondays.
How to plan a walk
Emerging-artist solos are concentrated downtown — Lower East Side, Two Bridges, Tribeca, Chinatown, and a few Brooklyn outposts. Plan the day around the F train at East Broadway and the J/Z at Bowery. Saturdays tend to be busiest at the smaller galleries; weekday afternoons are quietest.
On the map
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Frequently asked
What does 'emerging artist' mean?
Loosely: an artist within roughly five years of their first significant exhibition, often still pre-museum-collection. Most emerging artists' first NYC solo shows happen at small galleries on the Lower East Side, in Tribeca, in Bushwick, or in Chinatown.
Where do emerging artists show in NYC?
This list maps 10 galleries currently exhibiting emerging artists in solo form. The list skews to smaller dealers — see Management, Amanita, and the others above.
How do I find new emerging-artist shows?
Open the Gallop app and filter for shows that started in the last two weeks. The smaller galleries — Foreign & Domestic, Essex Flowers, King's Leap, Lubov, Real Pain — open emerging-artist solos every six to eight weeks.
Is it appropriate to buy work by emerging artists directly?
Yes. Smaller galleries often have entry-level pricing ($500-5000) that makes first purchases accessible. Ask the front desk for a list with prices.
