View of “Richard Misrach & Meghann Riepenhoff: Duet” at Jackson Fine Art.
Photo: Courtesy of Jackson Fine Art
5 Fascinating Art Exhibitions to See in Atlanta This Fall
Coinciding with the second annual Atlanta Art Week, a slew of gallery shows are highlighting contemporary talents
Kicking-off the art-filled month of October, Atlanta Art Week (AAW) held its second edition at the beginning of the month, bringing Atlanta locals and visitors from around the country to art spaces throughout the Georgia capital. With over 40 galleries, institutions, corporate collections, and local organizations participating in this year’s programming, the schedule for the week was packed with tours, panel discussions, and buzzy exhibition openings.
Visitors had exclusive access to the art collection at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home to the Atlanta Falcons, as well as a sneak peek into multidisciplinary artist Mildred Thompson’s home and budding residency program. “I wanted to create a platform to showcase our city’s incredible artistic talent and bring more awareness to the galleries, museums, artists, and non-profits that make Atlanta what it is,” AAW’s founder, Kendra Walker, tells Galerie. “We want the week to be a catalyst to the growth of the city’s art scene by bringing everyone together and shining a spotlight on Atlanta’s art community both locally and nationally.”
With a new art fair on the horizon for 2024 and multiple new galleries cropping up in the past year, Atlanta is quickly becoming one of the fastest-growing cultural destinations in the country. All participants in this year’s AAW, here are five must-see galleries and exhibitions to visit.
Wolfgang Gallery. Photo: Courtesy of Wolfgang Gallery
Alic Brock, Foot Sitter (2023) Photo: Courtesy the artist and Wolfgang Gallery
1. “Alic Brock: Shifting Motifs” at Wolfgang Gallery
Opened last year by Benjamin Deaton and Anna S. K. Masten, Wolfgang Gallery fosters mid-career contemporary artists with the goal of exhibiting a diverse mix of international and local talent. Local artist Alic Brock has taken over the entire 4,000-square-foot gallery space with his hyper-saturated airbrushed acrylic paintings of pop cultural icons and crouched figures—playing on the confines of media and the influence of 20th-century Hollywood on future generations.
Through October 21
Richard Misrach, Untitled #1026 (Psychedelic Jessica) (2007) Photo: Richard Misrach, courtesy Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco
2. “Richard Misrach & Meghann Riepenhoff: Duet” at Jackson Fine Art
A leading photography gallery for over 30 years, Jackson Fine Art spotlights artists that work throughout the spectrum of photo-based mediums. Co-owned by Anna Walker Skillman and Andy Heyman, the gallery recently opened a charming custom-built space that brings a modern spin on the former gallery, just across the street, while keeping the same homelike feel. The gallery’s latest show which opened during AAW features works by Meghann Riepenhoff and her mentor, Richard Misrach. Misrach’s hauntingly beautiful photographs of the American West mingle with Riepenhoff cyanotype prints made in wintry climates, showing the influence and evolution of work made by a student and their teacher.
Through December 22
Work by Sergio Suárez at Johnson Lowe Gallery. Photo: Courtesy of Johnson Lowe Gallery
3. “In Unity, As in Division” at Johnson Lowe Gallery
Relaunched this year under the direction of Donovan Johnson, Johnson Lowe Gallery, formerly Bill Lowe Gallery, has come in with a bang with a global roster of artists across all mediums. The galley’s latest show, “In Unity, As in Division” highlights seven emerging artists from within the Atlanta metropolitan area, brought together in one space to form a more holistic view of the city’s diverse artistic landscape. Among the participating artists are Demetri Burke, Danielle Deadwyler, Leia Genis, Wihro Kim, Masela Nkolo, Sergio Suárez, and Ellex Swavoni.
Through November 11
Emmanuel Massillon's "Some Believe It To Be Conspiracy" at UTA Artist Space Atlanta. Photo: Mike Jensen
4. Emmanuel Massillon at UTA Artist Space Atlanta
An offshoot of UTA Artist Space Los Angeles overseen by Galerie‘s 2021 Creative Mind, Arthur Lewis, UTA Artist Space Atlanta opened last year in the talent agency’s sprawling Midtown office. Nestled in the lower level of the building, emerging artist Emmanuel Massillon exhibits his first solo show in the United States, “Some Believe it to be Conspiracy.” The rising star explores subjects of race, identity, and culture using unique objects, from a steak doused in resin to a taxidermy mouse holding a microphone, to create his conceptual works.
Through October 21
Whitespace Gallery. Photo: Richard Sexton
Installation of Sonya Yong James's previous exhibition "LOUD MAGIC" at Whitespace Gallery. Photo: Russell Kilgore
5. Sonya Yong James at Whitespace Gallery
Housed in a converted 1893 carriage house in historic Inman Park, Whitespace Gallery first opened in 2005 by curator and art dealer Susan Bridges. Now on view is “The Pleasure Was All Mine,” a solo presentation by textile artist Sonya Yong James, which showcases the 2019 Artadia awardee’s intricate installations of cloth, fiber, and clay. Be sure to stop in the gallery’s Shedspace to view an electric sculpture by Eddie Farr.
Through November 25
Cover: View of “Richard Misrach & Meghann Riepenhoff: Duet” at Jackson Fine Art.
Photo: Courtesy of Jackson Fine Art
