Ebony L. Haynes

A director at David Zwirner Gallery, Ebony L. Haynes is eagerly looking forward to opening her new gallery, 52 Walker, with a solo show by Baltimore-born, multidisciplinary artist Kandis Williams in October. Haynes told Observer, “The pandemic made me feel a sense of urgency to push against some of the norms that I would like to see change, wherever possible.” Her new art space will have only four exhibits a year, each lasting three months: a programming format which she has compared to the German kunsthalle, or art hall, a small museum without a permanent collection. The slower pace of the kunsthalle, unlike a commercial art gallery, challenges the fast pace of the contemporary art world and would allow for greater freedom of expression for the artists shown there.

A former director at Martos Gallery and the project space Shoot the Lobster, Haynes, who has long been committed to diversity in the art world, will be hiring an all-Black staff at 52 Walker. The new space will have the financial backing of Zwirner, although artists will not be represented by the mega-gallery. The space, which will be remodeled by architect Annabelle Selldorf, will instead be a place of discovery and experimentation. Williams’ show in October will be followed by a show from Nikita Gale in the winter and one from Nora Turato in Spring 2022.