{"id":64137,"date":"2025-09-14T20:42:20","date_gmt":"2025-09-14T20:42:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/64137\/"},"modified":"2025-09-14T20:42:20","modified_gmt":"2025-09-14T20:42:20","slug":"art-in-general-nonprofit-champion-of-early-career-artists-is-reopening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/64137\/","title":{"rendered":"Art in General, Nonprofit Champion of Early-Career Artists, Is Reopening"},"content":{"rendered":"

For nearly four decades, more than 2,000 artists flocked to the alternative nonprofit Art in General (AiG), whose accessible and diverse programming helped propel the early careers of Pope.L, Cecilia Vicu\u00f1a, Joan Jonas, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Patty Chang, Sanford Biggers, Kay WalkingStick, and many more. AiG was a bright star for emerging artists in New York City, where finding opportunity among the landscape of established museum institutions and galleries can sometimes feel like searching for a needle in a haystack.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why it came as a significant blow when, in late 2020, during the throes of the coronavirus pandemic, the storied organization permanently shut its doors<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But sometimes endings set the groundwork for new beginnings. In August, AiG announced plans to return under new leadership. And despite not yet having a steady physical location, the organization has already mounted its first exhibition \u2014 a benefit show to support its future programming and operations, which is continuing as an online fundraiser<\/a> through this Sunday, September 14.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\t\tMimian Hsu, \u201cLa Gran China\u201d (2003), a work in Art in General\u2019s benefit exhibition (image courtesy the artist)\t\t\t<\/p>\n

The nonprofit\u2019s resurrection comes at an acutely challenging time for the arts community, which is dealing with compounding pressures of political suppression, a reported slump in the art market<\/a>, and a recent string of gallery closures<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cCommercial galleries just show painting, and shows in institutions run longer now \u2014 meaning fewer opportunities for young New York artists to have exhibitions,\u201d artist and curator Josh Kline told Hyperallergic. \u201cIt\u2019s great for everyone to have Art in General returning.\u201d <\/p>\n

As with so many others, AiG was a pivotal stepping stone for Kline: In 2007, the nonprofit gave him one of his first curatorial opportunities by inviting him to co-organize the weekend video show Values with Anthony Marcellini.<\/p>\n

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(Left) Chando Ao, \u201cMirror\u201d (2024) (image courtesy the artist); (right) Heidi Lau, \u201cMantis Star Cluster\u201d (2024) (image courtesy the artist)<\/p>\n

These career-building projects are at the root of the nonprofit\u2019s reinvigorated mission, AiG\u2019s new executive director Xiaoyu Weng told Hyperallergic. A Shanghai-born curator who has been with the organization since 2017, Weng was also recently tapped for Documenta\u2019s artistic team<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u200aWe\u2019re not looking to create a big splash or be the next big thing in the art world,\u201d Weng said. \u201cWe\u2019re more interested in how to do things one step at a time \u2026 We want to go down into the community and connect with people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because AIG is currently without a permanent physical home, Weng said that the organization is hoping to use its \u201cnomadic\u201d position as a chance to forge global connections through collaborative pop-up exhibitions and discussion events. As a preview of the work that the organization aims to pursue going forward, its inaugural benefit exhibition was recently held at board member Yve Yang\u2019s namesake Tribeca gallery.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\t\tGala Porras-Kim, \u201c13 Images of resurrection at the British Museum\u201d (2025) (image courtesy the artist)<\/p>\n

The fundraiser features works by artists that have previously graced the walls of AiG, including Marina Abramovic and Patty Chang. Many of the show participants also have roots outside the United States, carrying on AiG\u2019s legacy of international cultural exchange.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But aside from spotlighting AiG\u2019s alumni, the show is billed as a continuation of the core mission of providing a platform for early-career artists. This spirit is exemplified by the curatorial direction of Qingyuan Deng, whose experience has primarily encompassed guerrilla-style shows in smaller venues.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t necessarily be working with artists like Josh Kline or Gala Porras-Kim in other shows,\u201d said Deng. (Deng has previously contributed to Hyperallergic<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

He also noted that while the fundraiser mostly features work by mid-career artists, it also includes newer voices like Sophie Kovel, a conceptual photographer and recent alumna of the Whitney Museum of American Art\u2019s Independent Study Program. Her print \u201cLabor Credit Union\u201d (2025) is based on her ongoing investigation into hidden power structures, and is currently listed at $1,800. Brooklyn-based visual artist and musician Becca Albee\u2019s archival print, \u201cAIDS: the women, IR + PR + GR\u201d (2017) delves into the history of feminist health and contemporary color therapy systems, and is currently listed at $1,200.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of the museums really wanna focus on artists of the same generation,\u201d Deng said. \u201cArt In General is less interested in that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\tWang Tuo, \u201cSpring Outing\u201d (2023) (image courtesy the artist)\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For nearly four decades, more than 2,000 artists flocked to the alternative nonprofit Art in General (AiG), whose…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":64138,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[267],"tags":[3313,365,362,363,364,366,18,117,19,17,968],"class_list":{"0":"post-64137","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-art-in-general","9":"tag-arts","10":"tag-arts-and-design","11":"tag-artsanddesign","12":"tag-artsdesign","13":"tag-design","14":"tag-eire","15":"tag-entertainment","16":"tag-ie","17":"tag-ireland","18":"tag-new-york"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64137"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64137\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}