GalleryLower East Side
56 HENRY
56 Henry is the emotionally charged anchor of Henry Street’s art community. Openings are like a block party. The exhibitions, sharp, funny, and sometimes devastating, capture the messy, confessional texture of creative life right now.
Opening @ 12pm Today
Photo by Effie Liu
What to Expect
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.
About the Gallery
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.
In The Area
RestaurantLower East Side
Sun Hing Lung
This Cantonese noodle spot is known for its beef and pork specialties. You can pick up the juiciest pork dumplings for $15. Don’t be put off by the long line on weekends. It’s worth it.
Coffee ShopChinatown
Dreamers Coffee House
Perfect matcha and coffee at this neighborhood spot folded between galleries on the west end of Henry Street. It’s where the locals drink and art is much-discussed.
GalleryChinatown
Long Story Short
A big-hearted, storefront gallery where locals linger on the benches outside and rising artists explore imagined realms inside.
Clothing StoreChinatown
Retail Pharmacy
Sophia Boli's boutique where fox-head corsets, Y2K deep cuts, and knitted jerseys replace retail therapy.
Past Best of Shows
You can't see them, but we did! Read our reviews.
closed
Best of ShowChinatown
Jo Messer: Speed Stick
MAR-MAY1917
56 HENRYFeverish, indulgent, and so very alive. Jo Messer’s painted flesh, fish, tangled chains, and art history collide in one of downtown’s most sensual shows. Everything’s lush, messy, and impossible to look away from.