Arthur Michel transformed a Chinatown apartment suite into the Facebook Marketplace Gallery, a one-night-only exhibition where works by emerging artists are sold exclusively on Facebook Marketplace after the show ends. The fourth iteration of this event featured artists from RISD, The New School, MassArt, and Parsons, drawing over 120 guests to a space deliberately removed from the traditional Chelsea gallery scene.
This initiative highlights the art world's growing accessibility crisis, where young artists struggle to secure gallery representation and feel disconnected from an increasingly exclusive, high-priced market. By bypassing conventional gatekeepers and using a platform known for secondhand furniture, Michel offers a rebellious, low-barrier alternative that questions who gets to participate in the art economy and how art is valued.