Frieze New York is underway, with notable highlights including a provocative marble sculpture of underwear by Reza Aramesh at the Iranian gallery Dastan, representing the last garment removed before imprisonment. Meanwhile, collectors Susan and Michael Hort are hosting a charity sale at their Tribeca townhouse benefiting the Rema Hort Mann Fund, featuring a popular "Buy What You Love" section where $150 works on paper are sold anonymously. Actor Lucy Liu is also making waves with a new exhibition titled "Hard Feelings" at Alisan Fine Arts on the Upper East Side, showcasing deeply personal paintings about memory and family.
These stories matter because they illustrate the diverse, often playful intersections of art, philanthropy, and celebrity within the high-stakes environment of Frieze Week. The charity sale highlights how art can fund vital cancer support programs, while Aramesh's work uses humor to address serious political themes of incarceration. Liu's show further blurs boundaries between Hollywood fame and serious artistic practice, reflecting broader trends in the contemporary art world where celebrity and activism increasingly converge.