The city has long been synonymous with southwestern art, but a growing constellation of contemporary galleries and artist-run spaces is making the case that its most compelling cultural chapter is still being written.

“You have to believe in the artists,” she tells Observer. “You have to have conviction. If we do not put that energy into artists, no one else will.”

At Alexander Gray Associates and the Whitney Biennial, the artist advances his decades-long inquiry into ornament, abstraction and intuition.

In one of the world’s most institution-heavy art scenes, Gubgub Studios is making the case for independence.

“Often when people say African artists are new, they neglect that African artists have been a part of the story forever,” cofounder Kwame Mintah tells Observer.

He has no shortage of entertainingly salacious stories, but he’s surprisingly quick to open up about his personal battles.

Under the dim lights of the Lower East Side’s Maison Nur, art world luminaries gathered to celebrate Observer’s Art Power Index—and each other. From the impassioned speeches to the sharp tailoring and Damien Hirst over the bar, the evening embodied our legacy of chronicling power with style.

Their acquisitions, affinities and approbations move the needle on valuation and redefine how art is made, shown and sold.