An Angeleno's Six-Week Bender Through New York's Underground Art Scene
Sammy Loren, an LA-based curator and writer, documents a six-week immersion in New York's underground art and literary scenes from June 6 to mid-July 2026. Highlights include the Mutt Art Review Issue Four launch party at The Gallery in Crown Heights, a nomadic project by Florian Meisenberg housed in a former WeWork, featuring artists like Josh Kline, Austin Lee, and Marcus Jahmal. Loren also attends performances at Ella Funt curated by Booth McGowan, including Georges Mefleh and Aliya Ultan's Violin Soup, and a reading at le PÈRE headlined by Woah Vicky alongside Caroline Calloway and Alex Dimitrov. Other events include group shows at Canada ("Plants, Animals, and Sky"), Gladstone ("The Vandals" curated by Alissa Bennett and Julian Ehrlich), and Luhring Augustine Tribeca ("In a Free State" curated by Salman Toor and Doron Langberg). Loren visits Cosima zu Knyphausen's "Gute Nacht" at Sebastian Gladstone, and a performance by Xin Liu on the High Line. He reads at Punisher, a series by Sarah Velk and Kennedy Wright, held at Pietro Alexander gallery. The diary concludes with reflections on the differences between LA and NY underground scenes, noting higher stakes and ambition in New York.
Key facts
- Sammy Loren spent six weeks in New York's underground art scene starting June 6, 2026.
- Mutt Art Review Issue Four launched at The Gallery in Crown Heights, a former WeWork.
- The Gallery is a nomadic curatorial project by Florian Meisenberg.
- Exhibition at The Gallery titled 'WeWork (oralmoral)' featured Josh Kline, Austin Lee, Marcus Jahmal.
- Performance 'Violin Soup' by Georges Mefleh and Aliya Ultan at Ella Funt referenced Martha Rosler's 'Semiotics of the Kitchen'.
- Reading at le PÈRE included Woah Vicky, Caroline Calloway, Alex Dimitrov, Mike Crumplar, Matthew Weinberger, True Whitaker.
- Group show 'In a Free State' at Luhring Augustine Tribeca curated by Salman Toor and Doron Langberg.
- Cosima zu Knyphausen's 'Gute Nacht' opened at Sebastian Gladstone.
- Punisher reading series by Sarah Velk and Kennedy Wright held at Pietro Alexander gallery.
- Loren notes New York's underground has higher stakes and ambition compared to LA.
Entities
Artists
- Sammy Loren
- Florian Meisenberg
- Josh Kline
- Austin Lee
- Marcus Jahmal
- Vijay Masharani
- Michael Egan
- Kara Kazanoff
- Matilda Lin Berke
- Kimberlean Donis
- Margaret Kross
- Booth McGowan
- Georges Mefleh
- Aliya Ultan
- Martha Rosler
- James Fisher-Smith
- Viera Meepz
- Woah Vicky
- Mike Crumplar
- Matthew Weinberger
- True Whitaker
- Caroline Calloway
- Sulpicia
- Alex Dimitrov
- Peyton Gatewood
- Nick Dove
- Danielle Chelosky
- Bronwen Lam
- David Dufour
- Salman Toor
- Doron Langberg
- Ellery Neon
- Cosima zu Knyphausen
- Sebastian Gladstone
- Tara Downs
- Sarah Velk
- Kennedy Wright
- Pietro Alexander
- Sara Apple
- Tallulah Dirnfeld
- Ken Price
- Jaxon Demme
- Allie Rowbottom
- Jon Lindsey
- Anika Jade Levy
- Gutes Guterman
- Sasha Rosenberg
- Zoey Greenwald
- Tif Sigfrids
- Xin Liu
- Simone Forti
- Alexis Okeowo
- Robyn Siegel
- Alissa Bennett
- Julian Ehrlich
- Adam Alessi
Institutions
- CULTURED
- The Gallery
- WeWork
- Mutt Art Review
- Ella Funt
- le PÈRE
- Canada (gallery)
- Gladstone Gallery
- Luhring Augustine
- Sebastian Gladstone (gallery)
- Pietro Alexander (gallery)
- Punisher (reading series)
- Casual Encountersz
- Made In helLA
- On The Rag
- Magic 8 (reading series)
- Weird Fucks (reading series)
- Patio (reading series)
- Pine Box Rock Shop
- Seventh Heaven
- TJ Barnes
- Nightclub 101
- Time Again (bar)
- High Line
- New Yorker
- Gagosian
- Gosh (nightclub)
- Cash 4 Gold
- Forever Magazine
- Byline
- Drunken Canal
- Russian Samovar
Locations
- Los Angeles
- New York
- JFK Airport
- Crown Heights
- East Village
- Lower East Side
- Chelsea
- Tribeca
- Soho
- Williamsburg
- FiDi
- Manhattan
- Canal Street
- Manhattan Bridge
- 52nd Street
- Atlanta
- Georgia
- Athens (Georgia)
- San Francisco
- Bushwick
- United States