12/06/2025
“As summer approaches (quicker every day) and the city’s galleries begin their seasonal exhale, June offers a flurry of must-see exhibitions before the slowdown commences in full. This month’s column surveys a series of shows where queerness—politically, historically, erotically—threads through the work with quiet force or radical clarity, as well as one special mention for a show that opened a bit further ago than our normal month-to-month programming, but with just as much gusto as usually warranted for an inclusion. Across mediums and generations, these exhibitions map intimacy, resistance, and ritual in forms both fugitive and full-throated (we said it!). With hallmark names like Glenn Ligon and Rashid Johnson anchoring the calendar, alongside intimate group shows and live performances from emerging talent worth noticing, acquiring, and supporting long after their exhibitions end, the season crescendos, then takes a breath. Before the wheels are up, the bags are packed, and we trade desk chairs for wicker cafe stools in an exotic locale, here’s what to see – and feel – while it’s all still in motion.”
Reframe is a monthly column in which contributor Sam Falb () discusses timely openings to view in New York. Each edition offers commentary on the latest exhibitions, performances, and installations. Dynamic and ever-evolving, the content reflects the fluidity of the market it travels through.
Lenny, Berlin (2022) in MY ROMANTIC IDEAL at The Bureau of General Services—Queer Division in NYC, on view through August 31.
