56 HENRY

Walk into 56 Henry (or its second location down the block at 105 Henry), and you might catch founder Ellie Rines chatting with visitors like old friends. The gallery used to be her living room, and that energy hasn't left.

You'll find a mix of artists in their 20s and 30s alongside some of the best women artists from the '80s, all of whom love being part of downtown NYC's experimental fabric.

Topics pour out across the spectrum, exploring crucial themes like feminism, racism, loneliness, and the current state of America. The art is often full of tongue-in-cheek twists and takes on the zeitgeist that might make you laugh, until you realize they're quietly devastating.

People spill onto Henry Street at openings, mixing with crowds from neighboring galleries. The whole block hums. It feels like an impromptu party that nobody planned, but everybody needed.

Ellie Rines worked in Chinese antiquities before opening her first contemporary gallery in the Meatpacking District in 2013. She relocated the gallery to 56 Henry Street in Chinatown in 2016. Six years later, she opened a second space in a corner store at 105 Henry, scooping up Gallery Director Era Myrtezaj along the way.