Housed in a historic six-storey building – encompassing a staggering 28,000 sq ft – complete with roof garden, RH Contemporary Art in Chelsea, New York, has got all bases covered. Though only founded in 2013, the gallery has already developed an ambitious programme of events, as well as producing documentaries on its artists and an annual journal.
'Our goal has been to spotlight a range of international emerging artists while nurturing new talent in a variety of mediums, from video to paintings and more,' says Holly Baxter, the gallery’s vice president, who tapped a team of international curators – from locales as distant as Hong Kong, London and Mexico City – as advisors in seeking out young artists.
The gallery has been a pacesetter since its inception. British collective Random International’s Rain Room – an immersive installation of falling water that allows the 'viewer' to walk through the artwork without getting wet – was a mesmerizing first acquisition; RH Contemporary loaned the piece to the Museum of Modern Art for the 2013 'EXPO 1: New York', where it drew unprecedented crowds.
The gallery is currently showcasing the collective’s kinetic 2010 sculpture Swarm Light, in which any sound – from a mere whisper to a full on shout – sparks tiny constellations of LEDs. A version of that work is also on permanent display in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Also not to be missed is the Oslo-based artist Aurora Passero’s new spin on tapestries. 'I first spotted them on exhibit at the Oslo Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art and immediately sought out the artist,' says Baxter. The work is both refined and beguiling; the patterns and tones of Triggers #3 – an eight-foot textile work in a palette of apricot, silver and dusty rose – appear to shift and change as one moves around the piece.
But RH Contemporary Art isn't just about showing work. The gallery also runs an artist residency program, accommodating the participants in a nearby two-bedroom loft with studio.
So what’s around the corner for RH Contemporary Art? It's simple: continuing to build on their foundation of breaking emerging talent.
The gallery – which also has a roof garden – covers a staggering 28,000 sq ft
The gallery's first acquisition was Rain Room, the already iconic work by British collective Random International
Rain Room is an immersive installation of falling water that allows the 'viewer' to walk through the artwork without getting wet
RH Contemporary Art loaned the piece to the Museum of Modern Art for the 2013 'EXPO 1: New York', where it drew huge crowds
The work has since been shown internationally, not least at London's Barbican centre
The gallery is currently showing Random International's 2010 sculpture Swarm Light...
... a responsive lightwork, in which shimmering constellations of LEDs are set off by ambient and viewer-generated sound
Andrés Galeano is a photographic collagist who lives and works in Berlin and Barcelona. His solo exhibition 'Unknown Photographers' is showing at the gallery until 5 September
Galeano's meticulous images are constructed from photographs found in flea markets and second-hand shops
Galeano's images are both picturesque and emotionally resonant, 'finding connections that emphasise the continuity among strangers' experiences and their visual records of them'
'Lost Doubloons Rest' is a dual exhibition of the work of Norwegian artists Jorunn Hancke Øgstad and Tyra Tingleff, showing at RH Contemporary Art until 5 September. Tingleff's large, impressionistic paintings (pictured: The platform isn't any colour) are a perfect foil to Hancke Øgstad's more spare, earthy works
Everything arrived as sealed, like all of Tingleff's works, consists of oil paints applied to raw linen
'Lost Doubloons Rest' is one of four exhibitions currently showing in the gallery's extensive space
What next for RH Contemporary Art? It's simple, really: continuing to build on their foundation of breaking emerging talent
ADDRESS
RH Contemporary Art
437 West 16th Street
New York, New York
-
Bocci and Anna Carnick join forces on a showcase of evocative design practices in Berlin'Crafting Community' is on view at Berlin's Wilhelm Hallen until 14 September 2025
-
The story behind a one-of-a-kind Dieter Rams handbag, reborn by German leather brand TsatsasA new exhibition at Vitsœ’s London store celebrates the ‘931’ bag, designed by Dieter Rams for his wife Ingeborg in 1963 and reborn over half a century later in a collaboration between Rams and German leather accessories brand Tsatsas
-
A Miami pied-à-terre channels Art Deco glamour and endless summerInterior designer Olga Malyev reimagines a South of Fifth apartment with bold colour, vintage treasures and a sunlit spirit that captures Miami’s timeless allure
-
Stephen Prina borrows from pop, classical and modern music: now MoMA pays tribute to his performance work‘Stephen Prina: A Lick and a Promise’ recalls the artist, musician, and composer’s performances, and is presented throughout MoMA. Prina tells us more
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekWith the return of back-to-school, it's back to business for the Wallpaper* team, who’ve been making the rounds at fashion pop-ups and pavilion launches. Elsewhere, we’ve been indulging in new literature and old restaurants, and taking in a farewell exhibition at a landmark gallery...
-
Curtains up, Kid Harpoon rethinks the sound of Broadway production ‘Art’He’s crafted hits with Harry Styles and Miley Cyrus; now songwriter and producer Kid Harpoon (aka Tom Hull) tells us about composing the music for the new, all-star Broadway revival of Yasmina Reza’s play ‘Art’
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekHere in the UK, summer seems to be fading fast. Moody skies and showers called for early-autumn rituals for the Wallpaper* team: retreating into the depths of the Tate Modern, slipping into shadowy cocktail bars, and curling up with a good book
-
Richard Prince recontextualises archival advertisements in TexasThe artist unites his ‘Posters’ – based on ads for everything from cat pictures to nudes – at Hetzler, Marfa
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekAnother week, another flurry of events, opening and excursions showcasing the best of culture and entertainment at home and abroad. Catch our editors at Scandi festivals, iconic jazz clubs, and running the length of Manhattan…
-
The best Ruth Asawa exhibition is actually on the streets of San FranciscoThe artist, now the subject of a major retrospective at SFMOMA, designed many public sculptures scattered across the Bay Area – you just have to know where to look
-
Orlando Museum of Art wants to showcase more Latin American and Hispanic artists. Do you fit the bill?The Florida gallery calls for for Hispanic and Latin American artists to submit their work for an ongoing exhibition
