SPLIT LEVEL ART FAIR 2026

Kelly McKenna Gallery, Paul Leibow, Courtesy of the artist and Kelly McKenna Gallery

SPLIT LEVEL Fair Returns for Second Edition, Bringing Together Exhibitors Shaping New Models of Gallery Practice

The fair presents galleries, independent dealers and project spaces navigating the balance between experimental programming, artist support and commercially sustainable practice.
 

NEW YORK, NY (August 15, 2026) — SPLIT LEVEL returns to Rimadesio (102 Madison Avenue) for its second edition October 1–3, 2026, with a VIP and press preview on Thursday, October 1, from 3–6 p.m.

Founded by gallerist and artist Jaqueline Cedar, the fair brings together exhibitors exploring varied approaches to sustaining ambitious programs—from nomadic and experimental spaces to established commercial galleries and independent dealers.

Hosted throughout Rimadesio New York’s showroom, participating exhibitors will create site-responsive presentations that move beyond the conventions of standardized fair booths. Rather than dividing the fair into white-cube spaces, the format allows each exhibitor to bring its own curatorial approach into a shared, design-forward environment.

SPLIT LEVEL grew out of the evolution of Cedar’s gallery, Good Naked, whose trajectory mirrors the adaptability required to maintain an independent gallery practice. An artist herself, Cedar first launched Good Naked as an apartment-based gallery hosting exhibitions, performances and conversations, and expanded into an outdoor exhibition program during the pandemic before evolving into the nomadic gallery model it operates as today.

That spirit now informs SPLIT LEVEL, reflecting Cedar’s interest in creating new contexts for exhibiting contemporary art and bringing together exhibitors that are similarly navigating the relationship between experimentation, artist support and commercial sustainability.

“For decades, the commercial gallery model has been built around a very specific structure, but the realities of the art world have changed rapidly,” said Jaqueline Cedar, founder of Good Naked and SPLIT LEVEL. “Despite these challenges, gallerists remain agile, driven by a belief in their artists and a desire to sustain ambitious programming. SPLIT LEVEL highlights galleries that are responding to this moment with creativity, and together, they demonstrate that the gallery model can take many forms, and that experimentation will be essential to the future of the field.”

Alex Stoller, Brent Owens, Kool-Aid to the Brim Bouquet, Courtesy of Alex Stoller and the Artist
 

The exhibitor roster reflects a range of approaches to building and sustaining contemporary art practices.

SPILL 180 operates as an interdisciplinary art space supporting experimental artists, creative technologies and research-driven projects.

Kelly-McKenna Gallery combines a contemporary exhibition program with art advisory, collection management and professional appraisal services, extending its role from presenting artwork to guiding collectors through long-term stewardship.

Artist Estate Studio operates between artists’ studios and the marketplace, providing management, archival, strategic and promotional infrastructure that supports artists’ careers and preserves their legacies.

Blah Blah Gallery, founded by Megan Galardi, connects Philadelphia to the national and international arts ecosystem, creating new opportunities for emerging artists, and recently expanded its platform with the launch of Elsewhere Fair in 2026.

The Sphinx is an itinerant curatorial project developing exhibitions across shifting contexts and locations.

Alongside these approaches, established commercial programs including Eli Klein Gallery and Geary Contemporary bring longstanding models of artist representation and institutional engagement into conversation with newer approaches.

95 Gallon is an alternative gallery space in an eponymous 95-gallon trash can run by New York-based artists Bradley Milligan and Dan Gausman.

Programming throughout the fair will build on SPLIT LEVEL’s inaugural edition with talks and guided tours designed to encourage deeper engagement with artists, dealers and the work on view.

Additionally, SPLIT LEVEL will host a curated performance and video program, including:

“Pyre,” an experimental short film from Grayson Cox and Bradford Devins in which they burn Cox’s sculpture Self Check Out (chair) on the Shawangunk Ridge.

Sara Stern’s Mirror Ball, a plein-air stop-motion animation filmed in the dunes of Provincetown, MA.

A performance of TWO SISTERS (THE GLASS KEY), written by Matthew Freeman and performed by Hollis Witherspoon and Moira Stone.

A performance of Prayer for the Future by Zebadiah Keneally.

95 Gallon, Mark Sengbusch, Fushimi Inari, Courtesy of the artist and 95 Gallon

EXHIBITORS INCLUDE:

95 GALLON
ALEX STOLLER
ARTIST ESTATE STUDIO
BELOW GRAND
BLAH BLAH
CARA MARSH SHEFFLER
ELI KLEIN
EMILY MCELWREATH
FLATLINE
GEARY CONTEMPORARY
GOOD NAKED
KATY DIAMOND
HAMER PROJECTS
KATHRYN MARKEL FINE ARTS
KELLY-MCKENNA
MASSEY KLEIN
SPILL 180
THE SPHINX

SCHEDULE

VIP Preview
Thursday, October 1, 3–6 p.m.

Open Hours
Thursday, October 1, 6–8 p.m.
Friday, October 2, 12–6 p.m.
Saturday, October 3, 12–6 p.m.

VIP Talks and Tours
Friday, October 2, 11 a.m.–12 p.m.
Saturday, October 3, 11 a.m.–12 p.m.

Performances
Friday, October 2, 3–4 p.m.
Saturday, October 3, 3–4 p.m.

TWO SISTERS (THE GLASS KEY)
3–3:30 p.m.
Written by Matthew Freeman
Performed by Hollis Witherspoon and Moira Stone

HOST COMMITTEE

Abraham Axler, Collector
Adrian J Hopkins, Artistic Noise
Alejandro Jassan, Founder, Alejandro Jassan Studio
Casey Monda, Art Advisor & Founder, Art I Saw & Liked
Cheryl Karim, Managing Director of Fine Arts, Gallagher
Jesse Aran Greenberg, Owner/Founder, JAG Projects
JLy (John Mauricio Lyons)
Kate Lee, Co-founder and Executive Director, 603 Arts Foundation
Lauren Hirshfield, Independent Curator & Art Consultant
Lila Allen, Editor, Wrong House
Luis Cubillos, Collector
Mac Cumpian, Development Associate, Public Art Fund
Mallory Ruymann, Managing Partner, art_works
Mark Rosen, Founder, Studio Roh
Neha Jambhekar, Collector & Art World Professional
Nicholas Sorensen, Collector & Advisor
Rachel Mijares Fick, Co-Founder, Future Fair & Program Director; Center for Art and Creative Exchange at Tyler School of Art + Architecture and Temple University
Tracy Yuan, Art Advisor, Trace Out Art

ABOUT GOOD NAKED

Titled after a Seinfeld episode where Jerry’s girlfriend attempts to open a pickle jar and fix a bike in the buff, it is with levity and sincerity that Good Naked’s programming hovers around the intimate and awkward. The focus is on work that engages tactility, humor, movement and play. Good Naked's exhibitions are responsive and generative, prioritizing space for new voices and dialogue amongst contemporary artists.

ABOUT JAQUELINE CEDAR

Jaqueline Cedar was born in Los Angeles, CA, and currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. In 2009, she received an MFA in Visual Arts from Columbia University.

Recent exhibitions include White Columns, New York (2026); Hollis Taggart, New York (2026); de boer gallery, Antwerp, Belgium (2026); Morgan Lehman, New York (2026); Kelly McKenna, Spring Lake, NJ (2026); Andrew Rafacz, Chicago, IL (2025); Blah Blah, Philadelphia, PA (2025); and Essex Flowers, New York (2025).

Cedar's paintings and drawings address uncanny scenarios where characters engage with sincerity and purpose. Moments of desire, self-reflection and lack of control motivate postures filled with bravado and vulnerability.

In October 2019, Cedar launched the curatorial exhibition program Good Naked Gallery.

Press Contact
Carrie Paveglio
carriepaveglio@gmail.com
(586) 925-5546