Art in General to Reopen in NYC

Art in General to Reopen in NYC

Art in General, the well-regarded nonprofit exhibition space founded in New York in 1981 by artists Martin Weinstein and Teresa Liszka, is set to make its return under the leadership of curatorXiaoyu Weng. The space for decades was a fixture of New York’s downtown scene at its location at the city’s General Hardware building, before decamping to Brooklyn’s Dumbo neighborhood in 2016 and then briefly establishing a beachhead in Jersey City. Devoted to exhibiting and supporting unconventional contemporary art by a diverse range of emerging and midcareer artists, Art in General mounted more than 2,000 shows before closing in 2020 amid the Covid-19 crisis.

The relaunched Art in General is still searching for a permanent physical home. In the meantime, it will present exhibitions at various venues around New York, beginning with a benefit exhibition slated to open August 22 at YveYANG Gallery, whose founder, Yve Yang, has joined the nonprofit’s board. Helmed by longtime president Leslie Ruff, the board also recently welcomed digital strategist Jiajia Fei, curator and writer Jeanne Gerrity, and artist Paul Pfeiffer.

Weng, who previously helmed the Art Gallery of Ontario’s modern and contemporary department, is the artistic director of the not-for-profit Tanoto Art Foundation in Singapore. Speaking with Artnews, she affirmed that the gallery would continue in its mission of elevating the profiles of emerging and experimental artists.

“The art world is going through a very interesting moment where, because of the social and political situations around the world, there is a lot of censorship going on. I think young artists are afraid to say certain things or make work expressing certain things in fear of being canceled,” she told the platform. “And then, on the other hand, we felt like the art world is growing more and more commercialized. There’s very little space for young artists to do an ambitious project, if it was not endorsed by a more commercial entity. I think the same goes for young curators—there’s not that much of a space for young curators to experiment.”

Responding to the recent closure in New York of numerous small and midsize galleries, many of which were committed to displaying cutting-edge work, Weng sounded a hopeful note. “I do understand there is commercial pressure for galleries, and I also understand that pressure,” she said. “We wanted to step in and also continue some of the legacies of some of these really great galleries while also at the same time thinking about what can be done beyond a commercial model. And it’s going to be a very challenging and experimental journey for us. We’re just taking it one step at a time.”