Two Architects Launch NY Design Fairs
A pair of highly anticipated fairs are debuting in New York next week, coinciding with
Frieze Art Fair
and unofficially kicking off
NYCxDesign
. Both are masterminded by architects.
Collective .1
, May 8 to 11 at Chelsea’s Pier 57, is the brainchild of
Steven Learner
, whose project portfolio is heavy with
galleries
and
art collectors’ residences
. “I’ve visited great design fairs all over the world, where I find designers I’ve never seen before and meet dealers with access to new material,” says Learner. “We need an event of the same caliber in New York. It’s that sense of discovery that I want to create at Collective.”
The 24 international galleries participating—
R 20
th
Century
,
Jousse Entreprise
and
Modernity
among them—will present a cohesive yet wide-ranging selection of contemporary and vintage design pieces. Among the highlights will be a special exhibit of sketches, models, and prototypes pulled directly from the studio and personal archives of
Interior Design
Hall of Fame member
Gaetano Pesce
, and a VIP lounge designed by
BDDW
. Collective will also be the debut of
Kinder Modern
, a gallery showcasing vintage American and European children’s furniture, and will even be organizing fair tours for children, ages 4 to 10, from May 10 to 11. Look for an interactive, site-specific installation by
Sebastian Errazuriz
at the fair’s entrance.
Steven Learner (left) and Guy Reziciner (right).
Across town in the
Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center
(formerly public school PS 160) will be
Cutlog NY
. Architect
Guy Reziciner
, fair codirector along with production designer
Bruno Hadjadj
, is bringing Cutlog stateside from May 10 to 13 after four successful years in Paris. The fair will showcase contemporary works from 45 cutting-edge and established international galleries, including
The July 16
,
The Hole
, and
Spinello Projects
.
From 8pm-2am each evening, the event transitions into Après Cutlog, a series of outdoor movie screenings and live music performances in the Clemente’s 10,000-square-foot courtyard. Says Reziciner, “We hope the venue—the 1898 Dutch Neo-Gothic building by architect C.B.J. Snyder—coupled with offering both day and evening programming will be a welcome alternative to the usual art-fair experience.”
