The Independent Art Fair's Massive New Home on the Lower East Side

"“The floors of the rooms were seeded with grass and flowers, creating small fields to rise through the dust of plaster and between the objects of installations,” reads a 1983 statement by Bidlo and Wojnarowicz. “There is no rent, no electricity, no running water, no dealers, no sales, no curatorial interference. There is 24 hour access, enthusiasm, deep sudden impulse and some sense of possibility for dreaming.”"

"Almost half a century later, the resurgence of the LES as an artists' hub is being shaped by small, independent galleries; artist-run nonprofits like 99Canal and the Abrons Art Center; blue-chip galleries like Perrotin; and the East Side outposts of Chelsea galleries such as Hollis Taggart."

"Downtown Manhattan, and particularly the Lower East Side, where most of these artists lived, also offered cheap rent, appealing to small galleries like Gracie Mansion, Civilian Warfare, and Nature Morte. Together, they helped launch the careers of these and other pioneering artists like Gretchen Bender, Barbara Kruger, and Laurie Simmons."

"Elizabeth Dee, the founder of Independent - the 17-year-old art fair focused on emerging artists making their New York debut - wanted to embrace the moment. “There's an incredible renaissance happening on the Lower East Side, and we wanted to be a part of a quickly evolving gallery neighborhood,” she says."

In the early 1980s, artists took over an abandoned shipping terminal on Pier 34 to escape commercial gallery and studio systems. On the Hudson River waterfront, David Wojnarowicz wrote poems and painted murals with Luis Frangella and Mike Bidlo, while Peter Hujar and Dirk Rowntree photographed impromptu happenings and performances. The site offered seeded floors with grass and flowers, no rent, no utilities, no dealers, no sales, and no curatorial interference, alongside 24-hour access and strong creative momentum. Downtown Manhattan, especially the Lower East Side, provided cheap rent and supported small galleries that helped launch pioneering artists. Decades later, the Lower East Side resurgence is shaped by independent galleries, artist-run nonprofits, and blue-chip and Chelsea outposts, with art fair Independent aiming to join a rapidly evolving gallery neighborhood.

Read at Curbed