NEW YORK, NY.- PULSE Contemporary Art Fair opened at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea for its eleventh year. With intimate exhibitions and thoughtfully curated programming, PULSE New York offers a dynamic setting in which to discover a diverse range of artwork amongst an international roster of over 120 artists.

Showcasing a vibrant mix of emerging and established galleries from across four continents, PULSE welcomes a large number of new exhibitors including Christopher Moller Gallery from Cape Town, South Africa, Linare/Brecht Gallery from Hawaii, USA, PITT PROJECTS from Worcester, UK and Acacia Gallery from Havana, Cuba. Over 25% of exhibitors are new to PULSE with a number of returning galleries from last year’s edition. One third of PULSE’s galleries present solo exhibitions which are all nominated for the PULSE Prize; a jury-awarded cash grant given to an artist of distinction.

The dual-artist focus, Conversations, continue after its successful introduction in PULSE Miami Beach last season. The curated pairings explore visual dialogues, engaging the conceptual and formal considerations between artistic practices. Presentations include a black confetti covered floor piece by Gianluca Quaglia juxtaposed with Renato D’Agostin’s silver gelatin prints as part of mc2gallery’s Back to Black exhibition. Galerie l’Inlassable showcases an installation reminiscent of 19th century salons with works by James Reilly and emerging artist Saidia Bettayeb. Brenna Murphy and Sabrina Ratté collaborate on a three-piece exhibition exploring a new virtual realm for Laffy Maffei Gallery. kinder MODERN debuts an erotic sculpture photo series entitled The Chair Affair by artist Margriet Craens and designer Lucas Maasse. CEDE GALLERY explores “the body” in a photography exhibition by Nani Cardenas and Mariú Palacios. Uprise Art presents abstract works on paper and raw canvas by Brooklyn-based artists Ky Anderson and Vicki Sher that share a quiet dialogue of repetition, loose symmetry, and muted color. Antonio Colombo Arte Contemporanea offer a look at the disorienting imagery created by Giuliano Sale and Fred Stonehouse in a dialogue entitled Intrusive Thoughts. Painting between Anxiety and Escapism and Simeen Farhat and Derrick Velasquez exhibit vibrant layered wall structures exploring rhythm, tension and gravity for Pentimenti Gallery.

PULSE continues to showcase an array of thought-provoking paintings by a diverse group of emerging and established artists. First time exhibitor Bradley Wood presents a voyeuristic series of Nabis-styled portraits on behalf of SIM SMITH Gallery. Returning favorite, Jean-Pierre Roy of Gallery Poulsen presents his latest figure portraits along with the animalistic story-telling paintings by newcomer Mu Pan. Davidson Contemporary exhibits strong presentations by Sam Messenger and Boo Saville. Jaq Chartier showcases his experimental and highly pigmented stain paintings for William Baczek Fine Art and Thierry Goldberg Gallery presents gouache, tea and watercolor paintings in a solo exhibition by Pakistani artist, Hiba Schahbaz.

Strong photography presentations include digitally compiled urban landscapes by Tom Leighton and Fabiano Parisi’s dramatic abandoned interiors, both artists represented by Cynthia Corbett Gallery. Twenty-year old Tony Gum presents a vivid series of self-portraits that fuse her African heritage with Western culture for Christopher Moller Gallery. Sophia Pompéry captures the delicacy of everyday occurrences in her presentation for Wagner + Partner alongside notable photographer Thomas Wrede who manipulates composition and lighting to create mysterious landscapes. Irby Pace showcases his colorfully injected smoke clouds and Ukranian photography duo Synchrodogs display a new series of “supernatural” portraits and landscapes, both on behalf of Galleri Urbane Marfa + Dallas.

PULSE New York features a number of three-dimensional wall sculptures such as the intricate hand-cut steel carving by Samantha Holmes, presented by JHB Gallery and the 9-piece “puzzle” soft sculpture by Elio Rodriguez on behalf of 532 Gallery Thomas Jaeckel. PULSE Prize Nominee, Isidro Blasco of Black & White Gallery installed a large-scale architectural photo sculpture among smaller constructed wall pieces. Emerson Dorsch displays a multi-angled mirrored sculpture by PULSE Prize nominee Brookhart Jonquil. Juneau Projects presents sculptural hand-painted oak necklaces by PITT PROJECTS and Steven Siegel showcases a 78-piece mixed media installation presented by CYNTHIA-REEVES.

Other notable works include Ryan McGiness’s newest print series, Mother & Child presented by Lower East Side Printshop, Nicola Bolla’s crystal Swarovski snake shown by Galerie Italienne, a printmaking exhibition by arts organization Visual AIDS, and an exhibition of large-scale sculpture, painting and collage created by MFA graduates and curated by Jasmine Wahi for SVA Galleries.

PLAY, the fair’s dedicated platform for new media and video works within the digital realm, is guest curated by Joey Lico, Independent Curator and Director of Programming for The Cultivist. Her selections, filtered through the theme of “ritual,” includes Les Joynes, Shapeshifter courtesy of 532 Gallery Thomas Jaeckel, Zachary Fabri, Forget me not, as my tether is clipped courtesy of Garis & Hahn and Leif Huron, The Valley courtesy of Uprise Art. PULSE’s multi-dimensional programming includes daily PERSPECTIVES talks, bringing prominent industry leaders into conversation, including Katy Donoghue, Editor of Whitewall and Hrag Vartanian, Hyperallergic Co-Founder and Editor-in-chief. Topics include the art of collecting, Art and Revolution and an in-depth discussion on artistic exchange moderated by Sherry Dobbin in collaboration with Times Square Arts and Cuban Artists Fund. PROJECTS, PULSE’s large-scale sculpture and installation platform, features a composite of metallic “pixels” by British artist Mia Taylor and a multi-dimensional hand-stitched piece by Jason Willaford courtesy of Galleri Urbane Marfa + Dallas located at the fair’s entry. Artist Macon Reed presents a free standing large-scale installation Eulogy For The Dyke Bar presented by Mackin Projects, featuring a fully functioning bar and daily performances