5 Artists to Watch, Fall 2024

The New York art scene has come back to life this September after a quiet summer in the city. Hundreds of exhibitions opened in the first week, with art patrons dashing from the Armory Show to galleries and Independent 21st Century, eager to immerse themselves after a hot summer away from the city. Below is a list of artists I’ve been following, each of whom has gained significant momentum in recent years and are undoubtedly ones to watch this fall.

Cathleen Clarke (b. 1988) is a Chicago born, New York based artist. Cathleen is interested in fading memories and hidden stories behind faces and scenes. Influenced by the literature of the stream of consciousness, she depicts sentimental moments with non-linear narration, and thus creates plenty of flexibility to arouse the viewer’s multitudinous thoughts and to resonate with the concurrence of their sensations.

Cathleen’s 2023 solo show at Margot Sammel Gallery was highly successful. Building on that momentum, she exhibited with Margot Sammel at Art Expo Chicago in 2024 and will feature her work at NADA Miami this December.

Hasani Sahlehe (b. 1991) lives and works in Atlanta, Georgia. Through the physical pliancy of paint, Atlanta-based artist Hasani Sahlehe creates artworks of pure spirit. Exploring spirituality and the connection of body, mind, and spirit, Sahlehe’s abstract paintings feature soft-edged forms that intermingle, resonate, and reverberate.

Fresh off his 2023 MacDowell fellowship, Sahlehe has been on a remarkable run, with a standout booth at Frieze and a solo exhibition currently on view at CANADA gallery in NYC. Read about how Alice Coltrane influenced his show here.

Dustin Emory (b. 1999) is a self taught visual artist with a practice primarily consisting of painting. His work largely explores the human response to confinement through a black and white lens. He has exhibited nationally and internationally with group shows in New York and Paris, as well as a recent solo exhibition in London.

In March, Dustin will have two concurrent solo shows at Margot Sammel and Fredericks & Frasier, as both galleries vie for his attention. Despite the art world intrigue surrounding him, Dustin remains an artist to watch closely.

Yool Kim (b. 1982) is a Seoul-based artist that navigates ideas of identity and subconscious mind through mixed media artwork. Her paintings focus on figures expressing a form of disorder.

I discovered Yool’s work in 2023, and she has since grown into a remarkably strong artist. This year, she has several solo exhibitions lined up, including one currently on view in Brooklyn, with upcoming shows in Australia and the UK.

Larissa Lockshin (b. 1992) lives and works in Long Island City, NY. Lockshin paints on a lustrous satin and when stretched and marked, generates a harmony of positive and negative space. While conceived as abstract gestures, the work invites associations of landscapes via hints of vegetation, florals, branches, clouds, and sky. Lockshin’s paintings are powerful in their immediacy, capturing glimpses of what seem like passing weather systems, ethereal landscapes and dream-like fantasies.

Recent solo and duo exhibitions include The Armory Show (2024), Europa, NY (2023), Cob Gallery, London, UK (2023); Larissa Lockshin + Giorgio van Meerwijk, Pipeline Contemporary, London, UK (2023).

An honorable mention goes to British painter Faye Wei Wei (b. 1994). Born in London and based there, Faye creates bold, poetic works that blend classical poise with vibrant immediacy, exploring themes like spiritual iconography, love rituals, and mythic narratives through energetic, surreal brushstrokes. Faye had a solo in New York at LES gallery, Situations, in 2023. She is currently pursuing her MFA at Yale University and is undoubtedly an emerging artist to watch closely.

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