New York’s long-lingering winter has finally broken into spring, as if summoned by the city’s centennial earthquake or the total eclipse. Either way, the weather has coincided almost perfectly with Frieze New York’s arrival, and with it, a bevy of other must-attend fairs, including NADA, TEFAF, Future, Independent, and Esther—the latter a new alternative fair making its debut in Midtown.
Since last year’s edition of Frieze, New York’s gallery community has taken several major hits, including closures of downtown galleries such as JTT and Denny Gallery. Despite these rising challenges and increasing economic constraints, the city’s gallery network remains energized. These nine must-see gallery exhibitions give visitors and locals a taste of New York’s enduring local gallery scene, ranging from a monumental show by octogenarian Argentine artist Marta Minujín to an environmental benefit exhibition hosted by tastemaker Charles Moffett.
Jay Lynn Gomez, “Under Construction”
P.P.O.W
May 3–June 15
Once a nanny for a wealthy Beverly Hills family, Jay Lynn Gomez lived alongside celebrities, often surrounded by paparazzi who would crop her and her colleagues out of their photos. This became the basis for her paintings, which examine visibility and disenfranchisement. Her exhibition “Under Construction” at P.P.O.W is her first major showcase since her move from Los Angeles to Boston.
Alongside paintings and installation work inspired by her lived experience, it includes a series of hormone box covers painted on with vivid childhood scenes as well as abstract expressions, as symbols of the turbulence and resilience of the trans community (Gomez herself recently transitioned). A key work is My Past Self Painting My Present Self (2024), which uses acrylic on hormone medication packaging to intertwine personal evolution with broader themes of identity and labor. Through these works, Gomez explores themes of visibility and invisibility among disenfranchised communities, offering a deep reflection on transformation and recognition.