At Frieze New York, I spoke to Dakyung Lee of Seoul-based G-Gallery about their presentation of Yehwan Song, a New York City-based artist whose booth at the fair has been singled out by numerous press publications. I had a short conversation with Yehwan Song, too.

Nina: As one of the leading contemporary galleries of South Korea, why do you think it is still important for you to present at Frieze New York? 

G-Gallery: There are only a few Korean galleries participating in Frieze New York, and G Gallery is honored to be the sole Korean gallery selected for the 2025 Focus section. This opportunity is especially meaningful for us, as we have consistently worked to build a foundation that grows alongside Korean artists from a local context toward international engagement. Participating in a globally influential platform like Frieze New York allows us to spotlight the artistic achievements of Korean artists and the broader vision of our gallery. It also offers a meaningful chance to redefine the position of contemporary Korean art within the global landscape. By presenting Yehwan Song, we aim to introduce the unique strength and sensibility of Korean contemporary art, while contributing to the cultural diversity and expanded aesthetic discourse of the international art world.

Nina: What influenced your decision to present Yehwan Song rather than a different artist at the fair?

G-Gallery: Frieze New York, especially in Focus Section, is known for presenting experimental and energetic practices by emerging artists, and G Gallery believes it is a vital platform for engaging in international contemporary art discourse. The Focus section, which highlights boundary-pushing voices in contemporary art, aligns perfectly with our curatorial direction—and with Yehwan Song’s practice in particular. Song’s work offers an examination of the mechanisms of discomfort and control embedded in the digital phenomena - an environment often perceived as uninhibited and without limits. Just as we encounter unseen barriers online, similar constraints shape our experience of the physical world. Her exploration of these themes is both timely and globally resonant.

What makes her practice especially compelling is the way she translates these critical ideas into striking visual forms using modular structures, coding, and video mapping. Her work is technically sophisticated, conceptually rich, and emotionally impactful. G Gallery, we regard it as a central part of our mission to bring artists’ incisive perspectives on pressing contemporary issues to the global art stage.

Nina: In your practice, you put the screens front and center of our lives - is this the future you are envisioning, and if so, what would be the nature of human connection through art in such a digital future?

Yehwan Song: I do think screen-based interaction will define much of our future. Human connection begins with our isolation — we are separate beings, yet constantly seeking to connect. That’s where the internet started: from a desire to bridge that gap. In a digital future, connection may become more fleeting, anonymous, or fragmented — but the desire remains. Through art, I’m exploring how screens can both divide and unite us, and how connection might still emerge in those mediated, fragile spaces.

At the Independent Art Fair, I had a conversation with Kyle Penner, a member of the Independent curatorial team.

Nina: The curatorial component is integral to your fair through the careful selection. Do you think curation is important in the format of an art fair, or does it get diluted through the multitude of presentations and artistic perspectives? And what would you say is curatorial direction for 2025?

Kyle Penner: Independent has maintained a curatorial rigor since its inception in 2010 as an alternative to the traditional art fair. This is in large part due to its invite-only model, as opposed to a more general application process, where galleries are nominated to participate with an artist project by the curatorial team. Independent’s artist-centered approach favors solo and duo presentations and results in a diverse range of voices presented in context with one another. This context is a critical part of developing an artist’s market and building a consensus for our New York collector base.

For the upcoming edition, this curatorial direction will continue with an international lineup of 85 presentations, 87% of which are solo shows. This includes a group of emerging artists as part of Independent Debuts, but also multiple solo projects of more established artists. Notably, Mitchell-Innes & Nash will showcase never-before-seen works by Pope.L, his first show in New York since his passing in 2023, and Vistamare will present a site-specific installation by Rosa Barba, who has a solo exhibition at MoMA opening later this week.

Nina: Independent Debuts is a new element of your fair in 2025. What prompted your decision to add this new concept to the sections you had before? What makes it different from the main part of the fair?

Kyle Penner: Independent Debuts is a new curatorial initiative that spotlights solo presentations of artists marking Independent as their New York debut. This is not a separate section, but a selection of 26 artist projects integrated across all four floors of the fair.

The concept for Independent Debuts came out of Independent’s 15th anniversary last May, in which we organized a special exhibition in the fair called 15x15: Independent 2010-2024. The exhibit highlighted some of the many artists who have had landmark presentations with us, from Alice Mackler, who had her debut with Kerry Schuss Gallery in 2014, to Ruby Neri, who debuted with David Kordansky Gallery in 2018, and many more. Championing emerging talent is central to Independent's mission as a show platform. With this in mind, rather than looking to our past, the curatorial team decided to use the 16th edition of Independent to look towards the future, focusing on these new emerging voices having their New York solo debut.

At Esther II located in the historic Estonian House on East 34th Street I had a chance to speak to Mathieu Borysevicz, founder of BANK MAB SOCIETY, Shanghai and New York-based gallery fostering intra- and intercultural exchanges. 

Nina: Who is the artist you are presenting at Esther II this year, and why this specific selection?

Mathieu Borysevicz: This year we are showing the work of Wen Jue- Shanghai based and the youngest artist on our roster. He was born in 2001 and makes weird, wacky, paintings that are usually quite large, and thickly impastoed to the point of being sculptural. For Esther we are showing a selection of his miniatures. We chose to do a “solo” presentation of Wen Jue 

1. because of Esther’s spatial economy 

2. as a way to introduce a young artist more comprehensively 

3. because Wen Jue’s works are something that you’ve never seen before and last but not least

4. we are setting the foundation for Wen Jue’s solo at BANK NYC this coming June.

Nina: What are the advantages and disadvantages of presenting at the small boutique art fairs, such as Esther, where you are participating for the second time this year?

Mathieu Borysevicz: I think in general that people are fatigued by the big box fairs. While they are a necessary evil sometimes, it’s always the same predictable format, players, and content. The small fairs like Esther offer discovery, surprise, and intrigue. It is more experiential in the architecture, curation, and attitude. It is also a reasonable, justifiable investment and is born from a warmer, accessible community. I really don’t see any disadvantages of participating in a far like Esther. Granted, an awful lot is going on this Art Week in NYC, but I see there’s only upside to being there.

Finally, at Future Fair I was able to talk to its founders Rachel Mijareck Fick and Rebeca Laliberte. 

Nina: Future Fair 2025 is the fifth edition - what are the main challenges you have faced as a young fair when positioning yourself within the saturated New York market?

Rachel Mijareck Fick and Rebeca Laliberte: Future Fair launched just as the pandemic hit, so our first obstacle was pivoting to a digital format and building a community online before we could hold an in-person event. It was certainly a challenge, but it was also a period filled with excitement and opportunity. We were innovating with our digital communications, which laid the foundation for the fair’s voice.

Our approach is twofold: we keep the fair highly curated and collaborative, and we invest in storytelling and content to connect visitors with the artists and galleries. By building an authentic brand – both online and in-person – we’ve created a welcoming environment that appeals to seasoned art world veterans and a new generation of collectors. These strategies have helped Future Fair stand out and foster a supportive, engaged community in a highly competitive market.

We wanted to create a high-quality exhibition, working with reputable vendors in the industry, while still offering accessible entry points for young, emerging, and mid-career dealers. That is challenging in a city as expensive as New York—ground-floor, raw space in prime locations like Chelsea are rare, for example. What set us apart early on was a shared desire, alongside our founding galleries, to reimagine how the art fair model could evolve. We did this by proposing a profit-sharing model for the first 4 years of the business, and by bringing in partners and collaborators who believed in supporting a younger generation of dealers and artists.

Nina: What role does your curatorial committee play in the fair? 

Rachel Mijareck Fick and Rebeca Laliberte: This is our second year working with a curatorial committee, and we’re excited to collaborate with Dr. Margarita Lila Rosa (historian, art Critic and independent curator), Eden Deering (director, PPOW), and Jenée-Daria Strand, Assistant Curator, Public Art Fund. The committee embodies our commitment to collaboration by bringing in fresh curatorial voices and broadening the perspectives represented at the fair. Their expertise helps us identify what’s most relevant in contemporary art and connect with artists and exhibitors outside our immediate circle. Each member is dedicated to supporting artists and small galleries, and they bring a nuanced, global understanding of the art industry. Their involvement ensures Future Fair remains dynamic, inclusive, and attuned to what’s new in New York and beyond.

Nina: What is the most exciting new element of Future Fair this year?

Rachel Mijareck Fick and Rebeca Laliberte: This year, we announced our commitment to donate 15% of the fair proceeds to our pay-it-forward fund. The fund is a mutual-aid initiative that allocates grants to support new participants in future iterations of the fair. By lowering financial barriers, the Pay-It-Forward Fund reinforces Future Fair’s commitment to equity and sustainability within the art ecosystem.  The fund is an evolution of our profit share model, in which we offered founding galleries the opportunity to enter into a 4-year co-op agreement. Galleries were given the option to donate their profit share into a pay-it-forward fund, which many chose to do, and thus, the fund was born! Now that the 4-year co-op agreement has ended, we are continuing to feed into the fund through ticket sales, sponsorships, and exhibitor contributions. 

We’re also thrilled to offer our second award this year: The 2025 Artlogic Best Booth Prize and 21C Museum Hotel Acquisition. One artist will be selected by 21C, who will acquire a work. The award is funded by Artlogic. Lastly, we’re thrilled that Less Than Half is returning for The Matronage Salon, offering a conversation lounge and programming centered on supporting women in the arts. We’ll also have a culinary pop-up by Brooklyn’s Stowaway, serving Southern-inspired fare, and limited-edition anniversary beers crafted by Grimm Artisanal Ales.

All arts professionals conversing with me above create the New York art landscape, exemplifying the qualities of this crazy, energetic city that is so exciting, tiring, and intense. Until next art week, New York!