New York’s Deli Gallery, renowned for showcasing innovative work by emerging artists, will close on September 28, as announced on its Instagram account. Founded in Long Island City, Queens, in 2016 by Max Marshall, the gallery moved to Brooklyn in 2018 before settling in its current TriBeCa location in 2021. It also opened a Mexico City outpost in 2022.

“It has been a privilege and an unbelievable gift to be able to realize so many incredible exhibitions and share our unique vision and voice with all of you,” Marshall wrote in the post. “The gallery was founded on a commitment to community—to highlighting and advocating important voices—so it is something I know will remain long after Deli shuts its doors.”

The gallery has exhibited works by artists such as New York-based sculptor duo Ficus Interfaith, Haitian American interdisciplinary artist Abigail Lucien, Baltimore-born installation and collage artist Devin N. Morris, and Brazilian sculptor Lila de Magalhaes. Its final exhibition, a solo show by California-born painter Jose de Jesus Rodriguez, will run through September 28.

Deli Gallery’s closure follows a trend of small and midsize contemporary art galleries in New York shutting down over the past year, including David Lewis, Simone Subal, Helena Anrather, Queer Thoughts, JTT, and Foxy Production, all located downtown. Additionally, the long-standing Cheim & Read in Chelsea announced its closure in late 2023. Larger galleries have also faced challenges due to changes in the art market brought on by the Covid-19 crisis, inflation, and the rise of online sales. Marlborough, a long-established gallery, closed in June after nearly eighty years in business.

“Obviously, there are external market factors at play,” Marshall said, “but at the end of the day this felt like the right moment”.
 

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