New York Spring: Young Talent

We think it’s safe to say that an hour’s walk to and from work every day isn’t most people’s idea of an ideal commute. During spring or summer, we might be more tempted, but as February continues to have us in its frosty chokehold, opting for wind, snow and rain-proof transport seems like a far better option.

Khae Haskell disagrees. Their daily walk to their studio plays a pivotal part in their artistic process. With inspiration stemming from the intricacies of nature that they stumble upon throughout their travels around New York City, it is often the obscure, perhaps unwanted, natural details that spark interest.

We’re thrilled to announce that Khae has been handpicked for our New York Spring Young Talent exhibition. They’ll be working on a site-specific installation created exclusively for our fair, which will showcase Khae’s botanical interests and signature style.

Introducing: Khae Haskell

Khae is an interdisciplinary visual artist, draftsperson and illustrator. They’ve shown work in a huge variety of New York venues, including the incredible Established Gallery, who will be exhibiting with us this spring. Their road to these successes is paved in academic achievement, with Khae receiving a BA in Communications Design and an MFA in Visual Art.

Inspired by often overlooked details of the city – rotting plants, animal matter, bark textures, weeds in the cracks of the sidewalk – Khae creates mixed media pieces and installations using graphic drawings of the small treasures they find. Whether it’s the botanical life of local parks, grocery stores or people’s front yards, there’s no part of the city that Khae fails to notice.  

We think these two works by Khae really sum up what their work is about, and what you can expect to see at our fair. The pen and paper origins are clear, where the words seem to exist in both the second and third dimension. Khae’s observation skills are present in every aspect. Whether it’s decaying, rotting or blossoming, their subject encourages us to think more deeply about the everyday world around us.

Introducing: Effloresce

‘Effloresce’ will be an installation accompanied by a series of collages that represent the different stages and details of the natural world. Using two previous projects – ‘Decomposed’ and ‘Flourished’ – as a point of departure, Khae will create their installation from previous drawings that act as a library of images. The final project will consist of abstracted versions of Khae’s original drawings, executed as glowing, illuminated wall collages.

About ‘Effloresce’, Khae says:

Arts Gowanus is a not-for-profit organization advocating for the Brooklyn arts community. They produce workshops, public murals, collabs and exhibitions, born from the nurturing of artistic relationships and a mission to bring artists to the fore of the neighborhood’s identity. It’s great to be working with Arts Gowanus again for Affordable Art Fair NYC Spring 2023.

Khae continues:

‘Effloresce’ will tie the unwanted and desired natural occurrences of the city environment through various elements of drawing. The filtration of the original imagery to Khae’s drawn version will create a separation from the object, allowing visitors to have an anonymous, unbiased experience.

We absolutely cannot wait to see it.

Haven’t booked your tickets yet? Get involved by securing your entry to our fair in March. With a handpicked selection of over 70 local, national and international galleries exhibiting 1,000s of artworks, there’s set to be something for everyone. You’ll also be able to see Khae’s installation in the flesh and boast about your new-found obsession with their work before the world catches on.

Sending a huge thank you to both Khae and Art Gowanus for their help in making our fair a standout in the arts calendar.

Main image: Khae Haskell, ‘Blossoming Malignance 1’, Mixed-media.