Last night marked the start of New York City’s Affordable Art Fair, and the throngs there are doing precisely what art fair crowds tend to do: debating the merits of a display of vintage cookbook spines glued together, comparing surrealist paintings to acid trips, and handing prints to passersby they assume are staff. The show continues until this Sunday, September 20, at the Starrett Lehigh Building in Chelsea, where 620 artists have their work on display, priced from $100 to $12,000.
The show includes Dylan Martinez’s glass-blown water balloons, Deanna Billy Projects’ miniature hot dog paintings, and Abu Oluwaseyi’s abstract portraits. The crowds are chatty, the booths are piled high with affordable prints, and the atmosphere is more approachable than some of its more exclusive counterparts.
Dylan Martinez’s Water Balloons and Deanna Billy’s Wiener Paintings
Many booths set aside piles of prints at a certain price range, while Dylan Martinez’s glass-blown water balloons start at $800 and look real enough to puncture. Deanna Billy Projects sells miniature hot dog paintings for $150 each. The fair’s dedicated “Works Under $1,000” wall draws attention.
Wearing an all-black uniform brought a constant flow of people confusing me for a staff member or exhibitor. A dozen or so visitors argued about whether to purchase the glued-together cookbook spines. One pair debated among themselves over whether I was a staff member or exhibitor. Another person compared Gabe Benzur’s surrealist oil paintings to their last trip on LSD. Then a patron pressed butterfly prints into my hands while I sorted through a heap of under-$1,000 choices.
Abu Oluwaseyi’s Abstract Portraits and Fara Thomas’s Resin Work
Spiralis Gallery’s booth kept pulling me back to the multimedia works by Abu Oluwaseyi, where pattern and portrait blend into something that holds the eye. Curator Gail Patterson explained her reasoning for choosing them.
“Oluwaseyi is special to me because he only paints strong women, by themselves, looking directly at the audience,” Patterson said, pointing to the Nigerian artist’s $4,850 abstract portrait, “Welcome to my Neighborhood” (2025). “I wouldn’t be displaying these works if I wouldn’t buy them myself.”
Fara Thomas, an Iranian American artist, set up a solo display from her booth, where her resin-based pieces exist between sculpture and painting, mixing shape, texture, and dimension.
“Color is my language,” Thomas told me, standing in front of one of her dangling pieces. “Even though it can be in the pain in the ahem.”
From Macarons to Juice Boxes
The fair has a history of quirky shows. Previous editions featured Emily Howard’s bite-sized macarons, Mookntaka’s hefty inflatables, and Joyce Pommer’s mixed-media abstractions. This year’s lineup includes Tom Pfannserstill’s $1,150 hand-painted “Apple and Eve” juice box, which seems real enough to drink.
Each year, many college students and young professionals come together for the event. Founded in October 1999, it runs editions in 15 cities, among them Brussels, Hong Kong, and Berlin. Its aim is to make artworks available to both experienced and first-time art buyers.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Opening night | Last night |
| Runs through | Sunday, September 20 |
A Chatty, Endearing Crowd
The fair’s charm extends beyond the artworks. Visitors strike up conversation about anything from Deanna Billy Projects’ miniature hot dog paintings to Amelia Coward’s vintage map assortment, which looks like bubble wrap from afar and costs around $1300 to $3500.
Both artists and exhibitors extend an open welcome to the guests. As evening advances, the number of people grows larger, yet the connections between them grow more casual and distant. Wine pours freely from small plastic cups, and the social bonds among those present loosen accordingly. Artists, exhibitors, and visitors alike engage in animated conversation, while the station set up to wrap sold works hums along at a steady pace, producing bound bundles of canvases much like a finely tuned machine.
What We Make of It
First and foremost, the Affordable Art Fair operates as a gathering place rather than simply a trading floor. Wine circulates freely, talk runs wild, and the pieces on offer are set at prices that allow buyers to walk away with art without draining their funds.
The fair’s strength is its accessibility. Pieces range from $100 plastic prints to $12,000 abstract portraits, and the entry point is low enough that many visitors find themselves considering a purchase. That range is the point: a fair for everyone, from the person buying a $200 print to the collector snapping up a $4,850 portrait.
The crowds’ willingness to engage is a sign of the fair’s success. People are walking through booths, asking questions, and arguing over glued-together books. That energy is part of the experience.
I would love to walk away with a piece of art from one of the 91 booths if I had room for a little extra money, such as a painting, miniature, or sculpture. Until then, the fair provides a whole night of pleasant conversation, wine, and entertainment — precisely the kind of affordable art experience that makes the visit worthwhile.
Chelsea’s Starrett Lehigh Building hosts the fair until Sunday, September 20.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.