Meet Me in New York: Stanley Stellar
The Tribeca-based artist shows us the sites of queer liberation he frequented through the 1970s and ‘80s, admitting he is “such a product of New York”
The Tribeca-based artist shows us the sites of queer liberation he frequented through the 1970s and ‘80s, admitting he is “such a product of New York”
“This is my truth” says Stanley Stellar of hanging out around New York’s historic Piers sites, looking for subjects to photograph.
In this video, we meet legendary New York photographer Stanley Stellar (b. 1945, Brooklyn, NY), ahead of his solo presentation by Kapp Kapp as part of the Focus section of Frieze New York 2024. Stellar, who has traditionally shown his black-and-white images will be, for the first time, producing a group of ten previously unseen technicolor images from New York City’s gay Piers of the 1970s and ‘80s — a site which he considered to be his “studio” for many years.
Considering the fair’s location at The Shed, on the West side of Manhattan, steps from the old Pier structures, Stellar’s presentation poignantly connects back to the queer history of the City; capturing this fleeting moment of queer utopia before the devastation of HIV/AIDs, while simultaneously advancing it forward, connecting the moments of unabashed joy and sexual freedom in Stellar’s images to contemporary queer liberation that continues to unfold today. Among the few photographers working in color at the Piers, Stellar’s images uniquely portray the vivacity of the physical structure and the personalities contained within.
Further Information
The ‘Focus’ section is sponsored by Stone Island, whose subsidy, in addition to Frieze’s existing support, enables galleries to participate in the fair and ensures that Focus remains a place to discover new talent.
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Frieze New York is supported by global lead partner Deutsche Bank, continuing over two decades of a shared commitment to artistic excellence.
Focus is sponsored by Stone Island, whose subsidy, in addition to Frieze’s existing support, enables galleries to participate in the fair and ensures that Focus remains a place to discover new talent.
