An exhibition slated for this spring aims to add Jersey City, N.J., to the itinerary of art tourists visiting New York during spring art fair week.
“Mana Exposition” will take place thrice yearly, and aims to be a “marketplace for contemporary art that is neither an art fair nor a pop-up gallery, but a curated group selling show,” according to a press release.
The first Mana Exposition (May 10-Aug. 1) will be curated by Texas-born, New York-based artist Ray Smith, 55. Hosting the show is Mana Contemporary, a two-million-square-foot arts complex in development, where the exhibition will take place in the 50,000-square-foot Richard Meier-designed Mana Glass gallery. Running the show will be Cornell DeWitt, formerly director of the Pulse Contemporary Art Fairs.
The inaugural exposition, “All the Best Artists Are my Friends, Part 1,” will include Rita Ackerman, the Bruce High Quality Foundation, Phong Bui, Francesco Clemente, Alex Katz, Shelter Serra, Meyer Vaisman and Angel Vergara among the three-dozen-strong roster.
Mana occupies a group of warehouse and factory buildings and houses over 100 artists’ studios, exhibition spaces, music and dance rehearsal rooms, a printmaking shop and a foundry. Recording studios are under construction and a large theater and sculpture garden are in the works, according to a press representative.
Mana also has a 350,000-square-foot facility in Chicago and a nearly 400,000-square-foot Miami space. Both feature exhibition and studio space as well as art storage.