New² York

Kyler Garrison, Mil Imeraj, Julia Jalowiec, Emily Marie Miller, Erin Wolf Mommsen, Tom Rees, Kai Schachter, Joseph Olisaemeka Wilson

Curated by Olesya Ivanishcheva & Kenny Schachter

Olesya Ivanishcheva & Kenny Schachter are delighted to present New² York, a group exhibition of eight young local artists whose work captures the freedom of a city defiantly enjoying itself.

New² York harkens back to the good old days of Schachter’s Rove projects – showcasing unexpected work in a temporary exhibition space that totally ignores what the white-cube galleries are up to. Inspired by Schachter’s gleeful populism when she met him at an opening of his son Kai’s last year, Ivanishcheva suggested they team up and find out what’s happening in a cross-section of New York studios now. Together, the two conducted over 50 studio visits in search of the unexpected, the playful, the fresh and the new – eventually winnowing their selection down to these eight talented upstarts. The only constraint being that everyone represented here lives and works in the city, this show’s diverse collection of styles and subjects proposes to definitively answer the question of what’s new in New York.

New² York ranges across media, from the massive bronze monsters of Julia Jalowiec to the serpentine clay of Mil Imeraj. For the curators, what these heterogeneous works all have in common is a feeling of love and a passion for art. Joseph Olisaemeka Wilson and Emily Marie Miller’s hallucinatory fantasias; the liminal mysteries of Erin Wolf Mommsen; puckish scenes obsessively painted by Tom Rees and the adolescent devotionals of Kyler Garrison – these works speak for themselves and produce an ineffable effect on the viewer. We don’t know exactly what they’re here to tell us, which is precisely what makes them so intriguing. But the determination and assuredness of their various creators shines through each of these declarations of unabashed joy.

The show also presents an opportunity to see the precious and portentous work of Kai Schachter – Kenny’s son, who passed away in 2019 at the age of 21. Gone too soon, Kai’s paintings represent the makings of a remarkable talent, and remain beloved and influential to his tight knit community of friends. This show now presents the deserved opportunity to share his paintings with a wider audience. His work here provides a note of gravity that harmonizes with New² York’s staunch celebration of life, and of a local arts scene that continues to be characterized by its mischievously petulant allure.

All this and more awaits the bravely curious at the Edward Mooney House, one of the oldest standing structures in lower Manhattan. Prior to moonlighting as an art gallery in 2022, the iconic rowhouse has served as a brothel, tavern, general store, pool hall and civic club. Recently reopened to the public after being off-limits for years, this historic landmark is the perfect staging ground for showcasing the new New York – in a city still vibrant, diverse and the same as it ever was. Ivanishcheva and Schachter’s initiative provides insight into what is to come in the near future, and well beyond the confines of the city, with regard to these aspiring talents.