The “Armory” art fairs were held in New York City this weekend with both the Park Armory on the Upper East Side and the Armory Show on Piers 92 & 94. “Armed” with an open mind to see the newest ideas in contemporary art, I headed over to the piers to check out the Armory Show.
Now in its 22nd year, The Armory Show is billed as “New York’s premier international art fair, showcasing over 200 galleries from around the world. The Armory Show combines access to high quality modern and contemporary art with a commitment to spotlighting new and emerging voices in the visual arts.” I gave myself both Friday and Saturday to see the shows as there was just too much to see in one day. I found myself particularly drawn to the selections in the Modern Show (Pier 92) this year and even purchased a couple paintings by Darren Waterston from the DC Moore Gallery (see above). I’ve shared some of my favorites from the Modern and the Contemporary Armory Shows below.
Janaina Tschape, mixed media
Hard to believe, but I’d never heard of Janaina Tschäpe before the fair, though she’s been creating art for almost two decades. Apparently I’m the only one as a long standing collector bought her work while I was standing there admiring it!
John Grillo, oil on canvas
A beautiful example of John Grillo’s (who passed away in 2014 at the age of 97) colorful work.
Julian Martin
Australian artist Julian Martin was having a good day as 14 of his 18 paintings on exhibit had already found new homes early on during the fair.
Gabriel de la Mora
From a distance, I thought this work of Gabriel de la Mora‘s (this photo is half of a mirrored diptych) was created from carved wood panels. However, it was actually created from the soles of tennis shoes! I love all the different patterns.
Embracing an artistic life 
I must have missed the de la Mora- which “show” was it at? Nice critiquing (I almost named my article Armed too, but resisted 😛
I couldn’t resist the easy pun! His work was shown at the Armory Show – Contemporary (Pier 94). I can’t remember the gallery name but it was one of those along east/west corridor that butted into the staircase to Pier 92, in the middle aisle. I really loved those shoe soles 😉