Art in America’s Fall New Talent Issue Highlights 20 Artists to Watch

It’s a strange and frightening time to be making art. Wars continue to rage in Ukraine and Gaza, and an upcoming U.S. presidential election could mean the return to power of a charismatic leader with fascist tendencies whose most ardent followers see him as a kind of savior. These conditions are not so different from those in Europe in the late 1920s and 1930s, when surrealism flourished as artists sought to process the horrors of World War I and the period leading up to World War II. Coincidentally, 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of surrealism (see a handy “syllabus” on the subject in our new issue), and perhaps not entirely coincidentally, artists have been revisiting the movement recently. Painter Stephanie Temma Hier, one of 20 artists featured in this New Talent issue, takes the view that “in an absurd world, surrealism is the only sane response.” In an article about another modern-day surrealist, editor-in-chief Emily Watlington writes that Trey Abdella’s “subject, American decline, seems both timeless and timely.”

Our present is marked by another problem, less consequential than wars or elections, but one that still affects the conditions of art-making. Since last year’s New Talent issue, the market for works by younger and emerging artists has plummeted. Painters whose prices doubled or tripled at auction have seen another decline. Of course, this only affects the small group of artists at the top of the market, but it provides a striking backdrop for anyone making art today: when the fever for hot young painters dies down, things get more interesting. Our intention with the New Talent issue was never to pick winners for the market, but perhaps collectors these days are more inclined to draw attention to artists who work outside the usual boundaries, with unusual materials like Eric Oglander and Haena Yoo, or in performance like Pedro Zylbersztajn and mandla.

Outside the New Talent pack, veteran artists discuss how they’re addressing the most pressing issues of our time. In an interview with editor-in-chief Andy Battaglia about his current exhibition at MASS MoCA, Steve Locke says, “The warning signs of what’s happening in American life are all there: contempt for certain kinds of people, hatred of women, violence against black people. It’s almost like an orgy of anti-black violence.” Later in the interview, he wonders, “Since when is it OK to show black people being killed on television?” Two days before this issue went to press, television stations across the U.S. were full of bodycam footage released by the Illinois State Police showing one of their own shooting an unarmed 36-year-old black woman in her own home. Really, when is this going to change?

FEATURES

New talents
20 exciting artists, selected by the editors of Art in America.

Monumental dimensions
Since 2020, numerous Confederate statues have been toppled, but there appears to be no agreement on what should replace them.
by Emily Watlington

Combating censorship
In the US, calls for censorship are stronger than ever – from the left and the right. The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) is helping artists fight back.
by Maddie Klett

Portraits of life after death
Peter Hujar’s intimate photographs of queer culture are revived.
by Jackson Davidow

DEPARTMENTS

Calendar
An extremely ambitious list of things to experience in the next three months.
by the editors of AiA

Hard truths
An artist considers surrendering to the system and a museum worker asks if it would make sense to betray his boss. There is also an interactive quiz.
by Chen & Lampert

Lines of sight
Artist and curator Glenn Kaino tells us what he likes.
by Francesca Aton

Inquiry
A Q&A with Steve Locke about his painterly and polemical work at MASS MoCA.
by Andy Battaglia

Visual instruction
A note from Mary Lovelace O’Neal The Pieta.
by Francesca Aton

Battle Royale
Los Angeles versus New York – two complacent art capitals face each other.
by the editors of AiA

curriculum
A reading list for a crash course on surrealism.
by Ara H. Merjian

recognition
A tribute to Faith Ringgold, an artist inspired by righteous anger and joy.
by Tschabalala Self

Topics and comments
Two artists document edgelord discourses online. Do they beat them or join them?
by Louis Bury

Headlights
Indigenous Amazonian painter Santiago Yahuarcani is a star of the Venice Biennale.
by Edward J. Sullivan

Book review
A reading by Svetlana Alpers Is art history?
by Barry Schwabsky

Cover Artist
Amanda Ba talks about her artwork on the front of AiA.

REVIEWS

Venice
Venice Diary
by Emily Watlington

Bentonville, Arkansas
“Space Makers: Indigenous Expression and a New American Art”
by Alexander Brier Marr

Chicago
“Christina Ramberg: A Retrospective”
by Sue Taylor

East Lansing, Michigan
“Samia Halaby: Eyewitness”
by Sarah Rose Sharp

new York
“LaToya Ruby Frazier: Monuments of Solidarity”
by Shameekia Shantel Johnson

Philadelphia
“Mary Cassatt at work”
by Carlos Valladares