ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Frieze New York Art Fair Week and Valie Export Obituary

other · 2026-05-18

Hyperallergic's newsletter covers New York's art fair week, including Frieze New York, TEFAF, 1-54, NADA, Independent, and Future Fair. Senior editor Valentina Di Liscia compares Frieze to an assembly-line salad but highlights standout works. The newsletter also reports the death of Austrian artist Valie Export at 85, remembered for her guerrilla feminist performances. Additional features include a studio visit with Lavett Ballard and a retrospective on Joyce J. Scott's beaded art.

Key facts

  • Valentina Di Liscia compared Frieze New York to an assembly-line chopped salad.
  • Frieze New York featured works with lush canopies, diaphanous portraiture, and ancestral gardens.
  • Valie Export died at age 85 on May 8, 2026.
  • Olivia McEwan wrote a retrospective on Valie Export's radical life and performances.
  • TEFAF New York was described as an annual wealth pageant for the Nouveau Gilded Age.
  • 1-54 Art Fair focused on contemporary African art with tactile, surprising works.
  • NADA New York included zany sculptures, shiny objects, and kitschy vibrancy.
  • Independent Art Fair moved to a new venue on the Lower East Side waterfront.
  • Future Fair was described as a big artist party fostering connections between booths.
  • Lavett Ballard, artist and Barbie curator, works in a former high school chemistry lab.
  • Joyce J. Scott's beaded art critiques racism and misogyny through decorative allure.
  • RISD Grad Show 2026 will be on view from May 21 at the Rhode Island Convention Center.
  • China Marks' exhibition 'Lucid Perturbations' is at Zane Bennett Contemporary Art.

Entities

Artists

  • Valie Export
  • Valentina Di Liscia
  • Olivia McEwan
  • Seph Rodney
  • Rhea Nayyar
  • Lisa Yin Zhang
  • Isa Farfan
  • Steven Weinberg
  • Lavett Ballard
  • Joyce J. Scott
  • Isabella Segalovich
  • China Marks
  • Lakshmi Rivera Amin

Institutions

  • Hyperallergic
  • Frieze New York
  • TEFAF New York
  • 1-54 Art Fair
  • NADA New York
  • Independent Art Fair
  • Future Fair
  • Park Avenue Armory
  • Rhode Island Convention Center
  • RISD
  • Zane Bennett Contemporary Art

Locations

  • New York City
  • United States
  • Lower East Side
  • Rhode Island
  • Austria

Sources