Editor’s Note: This story is News reportera new one Artnews For the series, we interviewed porters and shakers who changed in the art world.
Alternative art spaces often play little role in the New York art world, partly because many of the shows they install are highly conceptual and dedicated to artists with fewer followers. But in 2020, when New York lost one of its most important alternative spaces, the art in general, this role became hard to ignore at the height of the Kuved pandemic.
About five years later, Art generally plans to return. The nonprofit will once again host temporary artists and collective exhibitions for commissioned exhibitions of works centered around shocking ideas. Xiaoyu Weng, a curator of the Art Museum, which once led the Tanoto Art Foundation and the Ontario Modern and Modern Division, will serve as the general new director of the Arts.
Although Want says the organization is looking for a new art, there is no physical place for this new art. During this period, it will perform at various locations across New York, starting with a fundraising exhibition, which will begin at the Yveyang Gallery on August 22.
Since its inception in 1981, Art generally supports artists who have not yet gained fame and increased their visibility, along with Cecilia Vicuña, Emma Amos, Emma Amos, Postcormity, Jill Magid, Sharon Hayes, and many others to gain key exposure through the organization. Wang said she intends to keep this spiritual energy alive throughout the new iteration of the art.
Artnews Talk to Wen about the art in general and how its new version will fill the gaps in the New York scene.
This interview has been edited and condensed to be clear and concise.
Artnews: This is a more art space than it was when it was opened in New York. Why is art re-launched in general now?
Xiao Wang: Some old board members never really thought it was completely dead. Board Chairman Leslie Ruff has been caring for its legal status in nonprofit status, hoping someone will bring it back one day. That’s its basis.
From the big picture, the art world is going through a very interesting moment, with many censorship being underway due to social and political conditions around the world. I think young artists are afraid to say something or make something express something so as not to be cancelled. Then, on the other hand, we feel that the art world is becoming more and more commercial. Without more commercial entity recognition, young artists have little room for ambitious projects. I think so are young curators – there is not much room for young curators to experiment. I do think all of this is very connected. It blends into one another to shape a healthier, more sustainable world of art in which all these different areas need to be supported.
Do you believe that spaces like art will generally help solve this problem?
Yes, I do think it’s a good time to rethink alternative art spaces. What does this mean for the community and what kind of platforms and resources it can provide?
Many people say, “Oh, you guys are swimming against the current because this is not a good place to raise funds.” People don’t have much extra cash to put in. But at the same time, I feel maybe people are more cautious about the money they put in. Perhaps for a good reason (if it is an influential thing), there will still be philanthropists. And, I still really think this collective funding model is not outdated. We need that kind of open space to hear different sounds – including customers who are able to donate $1,000 but donate to large museums.
How did you participate in the art as a whole?
I’m one of the general art winners in 2017, so that’s how I connect with it in a tangible way. As my young curator, this is true for me too. When I came to New York for an early visit, I tended to go to smaller independent art spaces rather than to museums. I’m really interested in studying more experimental practices. So, generally speaking, art is one of the places I often go to.
What do you think is the main contribution of art to the New York art world? How will you build its legacy?
Overall, art really looks at the art world from an international perspective. It is closely related to the socio-political conditions of the art world. So, this is indeed a contemporary space that is showing the art of our time. This very important plan focuses on East Asian and Eastern European artists. Then there is a major initiative focusing on artists from Cuba and Latin America. These places and geographical locations were not at the central stage of contemporary art in the 1980s and 1990s. Also, while talking to Asian American artists like Paul Pfeiffer and Josh Kline [both of whom showed at Art in General early on]when they didn’t really find opportunities in other mainstream art spaces or museums, they also found their own communities. It creates a sense of unity.
I also want to point out that although art is a beloved space in New York, its impact is actually international and global. I attended a curatorial workshop in Romania in 2023 and I met this Romanian artist Ioana Nemes [who died in 2011 while she was an artist in residence at Art in General]. Her work is currently being discovered in Romania and Eastern Europe, but reading her biography, I realized she actually held her first solo exhibition in Art in general. Who knew that this art space had encountered so many people’s lives in another part of the world?
Some galleries that have recently closed are smaller and plan to tend toward concept art. Do you think art generally fills the gaps they leave behind?
Yes, for sure. I do know that there is commercial pressure on galleries, and I understand that pressure. We want to step in and continue some of the legacy of some of these very good galleries, while also considering what can be done beyond the business model. It will be a very challenging and experimental journey for us. We are just taking one step at a time.
