New York's September Art Season Explores Nonhuman Perspectives Through Makeshift Machines

New York's September art season unfolded amid market uncertainty and gallery closures, with exhibitions exploring alternative ways of seeing through makeshift machines and nonhuman perspectives. Anna Rubin's 26-minute video The Gram (2024) at Maxwell Graham features aerial footage of Manhattan and the Bronx captured by a homing pigeon equipped with a camera, recalling espionage tactics from the First and Second World Wars and environmental activism by Beatriz da Costa. R. Jamin's solo show at David Peter Francis in Los Angeles includes graphite drawings of flightless doves and installations with real feathers, while Craig Jun Li's exhibition at Rainrain presents collages with vintage clock fragments and motorized photographs on mesh. Kristin Walsh's exhibition The Working End at Petzel features eight magnetized aluminum sculptures resembling MTA infrastructure that attract small objects, with mechanical movements observed during visits. Nengi Omuku's debut at Kasmin presents eight oil paintings on traditional Nigerian sanyan fabric suspended from the ceiling, creating floating installations with human forms in celestial spaces. The Armory Show was noted for conservative presentations, while publications like Cultured and Artnet commented on market corrections. Over a dozen New York galleries closed in 2024, including Helena Anrather where Walsh's work was previously shown.