Frieze’s Best-Kept Secret
Each May, New York draws artists, collectors, curators, and cultural leaders from around the world for Frieze New York.
At The Fifth Avenue Hotel, that creative energy was felt across live performances, intimate evenings, and meaningful conversations that provided a refreshing contrast to the acclaimed art fair’s fast-paced nature. Within our walls, we are actively reimagining salon culture for a new era, bringing together perspectives that add nuance and warmth to cultural events throughout the year.
We sat down with Joseph Vatter, our Director of Cultural Programming, for a reflection on Frieze Week and how culture is taking shape at The Fifth.
The Energy of Frieze New York
Frieze Week in New York has its own rhythm. The days blend together between the fair, exhibitions, parties, performances, dinners, and a mix of new and familiar faces. “There are people who have been in my life for nearly 20 years that I only see at the fairs. A close friend of mine from Christie’s—who is also my neighbor—and I joke that we only hang out in Miami,” Vatter shared, laughing.
What becomes apparent is the scale of the fair and the more intimate moments unfolding around it. “Fair weeks are exhausting—in the best way,” says Vatter. “It’s a time when business meets pleasure.” In this light, The Fifth recognizes that there is an opportunity to create a space where people can slow down, reflect, and connect with themselves and the people around them. “What struck me most is how many people came up to me this week to say that they felt like they were part of something special,” Vatter shared. “That’s the only feedback I need.”
More Questions than Answers
At the heart of all cultural programming at The Fifth is an inquisitive mindset. “Art is a catalyst for conversation. It challenges us to think about the world around us,” Vatter says. “There is a lot to question right now.” In a time when representation and visibility are paramount, he aims to reflect the diversity and complexity of the world in which we live. Each of the programs presented by The Fifth during Frieze Week highlighted female artists of varied backgrounds.
The week began with a live music preview of Vietnamese-American artist Diane Severin Nguyen’s debut performance work, co-commissioned by Performa and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, premiering in November at the Performa Biennial—a vibrant city-wide showcase of new performances by leading contemporary artists from around the world. Over dinner, vanessa german, a leading citizen artist working in sculpture, performance, and communal ritual, spoke with Ming Smith, the first Black female photographer to enter the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, about myriad topics and their shared perspectives on identity.
The week ended with the announcement of the 2025 winner of the David C. Driskell Prize, presented by The High Museum of Art, on the occasion of the award’s 20th anniversary. The first prize to recognize contributions to contemporary art by Black artists and scholars, this year’s winner—acclaimed LA-based artist Alison Saar whose work focuses on the African diaspora and Black female identity—was announced by a panel including Randall Suffolk, Director of The High; Naomi Beckwith, the 2024 winner of the prize and Deputy Director and Chief Curator of the Guggenheim Museum; and writer, gallerist, and curator Dominique Clayton from CULTURED magazine.
A New Series: Overheard at The Fifth
In that spirit, this season marked the premiere of Overheard at The Fifth, our newest series of salon-style dinners designed to spark open dialogue with thought leaders across disciplines. “I developed this idea several months ago while working on a project with the late, great artist Lorraine O’Grady,” Vatter recounts. “In this business, we attend a lot of dinners, and sometimes you’re seated next to a dud. I thought, ‘What if we were all privy to the most interesting conversation at the table?’”
Presented in collaboration with Kasmin Gallery, The Fifth welcomed celebrated artists vanessa german and Ming Smith for a dinner conversation at Café Carmellini during the final days of german’s exhibition GUMBALL—there is absolutely no space between body and soul, which deepened german’s singular approach to sculpture as a spiritual practice with the power to transform lived experience. “We lost Lorraine before the program was realized,” Vatter continued. “I knew that I would know when I encountered the right person to debut this series—and I found that in vanessa. Listening to her speak is like hearing a poet think.”
The deliberately intimate gathering included Catherine Morris, Senior Curator at the Brooklyn Museum; playwright Lynn Nottage, the first and only woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice; and Matthew Witkovsky, Chair and Curator of Photography at the Art Institute of Chicago, among other equally notable figures. The small setting encouraged an organic, unstructured, anecdotal conversation. Laughs were shared; tears were shed.
A Cultural Vision in Bloom
As a new brand, The Fifth and Flâneur Hospitality at large have the rare opportunity to define their cultural identity from the ground up, with clarity, imagination, and a bit of boldness. This week continued our ongoing work with Performa, Kasmin, and Frieze, while creating relationships beyond our backyard with the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. This is about building a cultural home for our guests, partners, and community.
