The Armory Show is a Playground
It’s early Thursday morning and sunlight is flooding into the Crystal Palace, a 15-story glass structure and entrance to The Armory Show 2025 at Javits Center. We’re here to resume a life of exhibitions and begin fall’s art season in New York City.
This fair is a playground for a confident crowd as more than 230 galleries and thousands of artists converge in Hudson Yards from September 4-7. I returned for several hours throughout the weekend to stroll between booths, lounge near sculptures, and listen to various talks and public programming.
As my contemporaries have come to expect, I photograph my favorite pieces and curate a selection as an entry point for your own discovery, taste, and presence. At this year’s fair, I walked almost 10 miles to visit every booth multiple times and view thousands of artworks for consideration.
In 2023, The Armory Show was acquired by Frieze and joined a family of brands leading the world’s art market. Your next opportunity to attend their programming and identify emerging artists for yourself is at Frieze London and Frieze Masters from October 15-19 at The Regent’s Park with more than 280 galleries from 45 countries.
THE ARMORY SHOW 2025
Without further ado, here are 7 artists for your time and attention. I kept returning to these pieces with some tucked away behind hidden walls and others on full display. Follow the links below for more information about their careers and to inquire about collecting specific pieces.
Alexis Soul-Gray, Not without My Ghosts, 2025. Oil on linen. Image by Elliott Desai courtesy of Bo Lee and Workman and the artist.
Marlon Portales, Inside the Body There Is a Tree, 2025. Oil on canvas. Image by Elliott Desai courtesy of Spinello Projects and the artist.
Rainer Fetting, Ben und Leon, 2025. Acrylic on canvas. Image by Elliott Desai courtesy of Galerie Thomas Fuchs and the artist.
Lauren dela Roche, Erosion 2, 2025. Acrylic on found cotton feedsack with acrylic varnish. Image by Elliott Desai courtesy of Eric Firestone Gallery and the artist.
William Brickel, Rude Mechanicals., 2025. Oil on linen. Image by Elliott Desai courtesy of Kohn Gallery and the artist.
Doowon Lee, Birds in a Stormy Night Sky, 2025. Mixed media on wool. Image by Elliott Desai courtesy of ACA Galleries and the artist.
Asif Hoque. Image by Elliott Desai courtesy of Yossi Milo and the artist.
TASCHEN, partner to the fair, also introduced guests to an incredible range of Bruce Weber’s work through 500 photos in a limited Art Edition of “My Education.” Other fair partners include Champagne Pommery, LINDBERG, Sauer, Aesop, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, Artsy, FT Weekend, Hudson Yards, and The Wall Street Journal.
Have a public program coming up? Invite Elliott:
Visit elliottdesai.com for photography and publicity services.
