New Artists to Watch in 2025

Noah Powell, Gauge, 2024.

By KENDALL KRANTZ January 6, 2025

What I lack in experience, I make up for in attendance. For the past year and a half, I’ve attended 3+ exhibits per week across New York City, Paris, and Miami. Learning about the career arcs of artists has made emergent artists all the more interesting. 

In a non-exhaustive list, these are a small handful of hardworking, early-career artists who I believe will create something fantastic in the next year:  

Noah Powell (a.k.a. LORDE “P”)

Contemporary Canon Standout

Noah Powell (@lordeeyp) will probably take over the contemporary art world this year.

Powell’s body of work is primarily, by volume, collage. However, exploration into three-dimensional space with found-object sculpture during a recent BxArts Factory residency produced an extremely evocative show. The work is raw, survivalist in nature. Powell’s sculptural aesthetic reminds me of Harold Mendez, and the work would fit right in at the Whitney Biennial or Tate Modern. Powell’s background in collage and paper works gives exhibitions an edge; invitations to a “Fundamental Realities” viewing were shared as a student referral slip. This attention to visitor experience, similar to the famous Balenciaga show invites (a fake stack of 100s, an energy bar, an engraved iPhone), outcompetes the weekly slurry of openings. This year, I think everyone who’s anyone in the art world will know Powell’s name. 

CITATION: Powell is on my radar due to the promotion of two tastemakers: famed “Matron of the Arts” Nicole Abe Titus and curator, community organizer, and artist Lili Rochelle. 

Mary Peng with "Mirror Symphony"

Mary L. Peng 

Technological Standout

Mary L. Peng (@l.h.mary) is extremely talented at adopting technology into mindfully applied design contexts. 

Peng began her practice with @dimensionxchi using Powerpoint for photo manipulation before learning Adobe Suite and has since expanded into mindfulness practices with @innermagicart. The work is relatable, airy, and mindful. Also a practicing scientist, Peng bridges connections between artists and research communities. This year, her eponymous studio opened a Design + Impact Hub which has collaborated on design projects with the Schwarzman Center, the Institute for Global Health, Break Through Cancer Foundation, and many more. This year, I expect Peng to make waves among science circles through large-scale art installations. 

Joe Square at Sattelite Art Show

Joe Square

Experiential Standout

Joe Square (@joesquareart) stands out for immersive, interactive exhibits. 

Square came to my attention at the Satellite Art Show; in the middle of a warehouse, he built a cozy living room and programmed the paintings speak to guests through a specialized headset. Later in the year, he dropped a few other exhibitions, including a flash tattoo popup and cafe takeover at Enoch’s, where the paintings controlled the cafe lights. Square’s work is best experienced through live engagement. This year, I hope to visit more large-scale takeovers and expansion into new modes of sensory interaction, with potential tie-ins to musical, festival, or performance events.  

Noah Bassman pulling tape off at Retail Art Therapy

Noah Bassman

Public Works Standout

Noah Bassman (@noah_bassman) converts the built environment into the experience of a folk song; no one can make me feel better about concrete. 

This year, Bassman produced a handful of public murals across queens, including in Paseo Park, put forward a debut solo show, “Civil Twilight,” at Vital Artist Studios, and led a public art project spanning King Manor museum, the Queens Public Library on Merrick Boulevard, and the Jamaica Performing Arts Center. Where Bassman stands out to me is the use of a dreamlike visual language leveraging the traditional bold colors of outdoor work but centering on comforting, organic forms. Bassman’s work encourages viewers to revere a space. In a world seeking community and connection, I anticipate Bassman’s aesthetic will become extremely popular in public amenities such as parks, libraries, and cultural centers as they focus on uniting third-space initiatives.  

Isaac H.W. Joseph on Bedford Ave., Brooklyn

Isaac H.W. Joseph

DIY Success Standout 

Isaac H.W. Joseph (@artbyhaise) is an artist you are extremely likely to encounter in the wild, on canvas or in person.  

Joseph is an extremely successful dealer of his own work. Originally a performer, Joseph began painting in the second half of this year as a personal practice and found his apartment quickly overflowing with work. He decided to take his canvases to market and has grown his business from $0 to nearly $10k/month in only five months because the abstract work is, for lack of a better descriptor, very good. Already adopted by major art consultants and appearing at points of sale across New York City, Joseph is an overnight success who nurtures his progress with care. This year, I hope to see Joseph’s now-established progress grow into showcasing his interdisciplinary talent in conceptual projects.  

Laura Iseley, 9-Part Découpage Ornament Series, 2024.

Laura Iseley 

Art Direction Standout

Laura Iseley (@collagebylaura) has an amazing eye for editorial layout.

Iseley works with paper ephemera, primarily as a collage artist. She has been awarded a grant from South Arts and recently participated in the Kolaj Institute residency in Scotland. Iseley’s collage works are detailed, technically precise, and innovative. Her general understanding of print layouts and composition is unmatched. This year, I hope Iseley receives due credit for both her exceptional art direction talent and her technical skills.  

CITATION: I found out about Iseley through Blakelee Pieroni’s curation for a Meta Betties show. WM