COURTESY FRIEZE NEW YORK
Here’s some good news on a post-holiday Wednesday: Frieze New York has rejiggered its Frame sector, where young galleries showcase the work of one artist, lowering the fees to ease the burden for cash-strapped up-and-comers. Frame offers spots only to galleries established in 2010 or later, and starting with the next fair in May 2018, the booth prices will be 20 percent lower than they were in previous editions.
The news comes during a time when young galleries in New York have been forced to close due to a variety of factors—a major one being the ballooning costs associated with traveling to several art fairs per year. When galleries are forced to cut costs, the first things to go are often fairs, and by lowering the barrier of entry, Frieze New York is looking to reel in local outfits that may not be afford to travel to a far-off city and pay for an expensive booth, but could swing a cheaper one a ferry ride away to Randall’s Island.
In an email to galleries sent out today announcing that applications for the 2018 edition of Frieze New York are now open, Frieze’s director, Victoria Siddall, said that the lowered prices were possible “thanks to new partnerships.”
In addition to the fee change, Frieze announced that Frame has gained a new co-curator in Andrew Bonacina, who is chief curator of the Hepworth Wakefield. Bonacina will select the galleries for the sector alongside Ruba Katrib, who was brought on earlier this year to head up the Focus. Unlike Frame, the Focus sector allows for teenaged galleries as well as toddlers—any gallery opened in 2006 or later can apply.
If any of this sounds up your alley, applications for Frieze New York 2018 open today.