David Zwirner Will Launch ‘Program,’ a Livestreaming Event, in June

Kerry James Marshall, ‘Black and part Black Birds in America (Red wing Blackbirds, Yellow Bellied Sapsucker, Scarlet Tanager),’ 2021. Kerry James Marshall

Back when the pandemic first hit, in order to support the artistic community, David Zwirner gallery used the significant resources they have at their disposal to launch Platform: New York, a viewing room hosted on their website that featured a focused presentation of works from 12 independent New York City galleries. By giving smaller galleries a more centralized showcase for their artists, David Zwirner managed to spin something positive out of pandemic isolation. Now, the gallery is set to launch a similarly exciting new initiative: Program, a global live-streaming event that will bring viewers virtually into the gallery’s locations around the world.

Meant to replicate the energy of experiencing an in-person art fair, Program will include curated installations, interactive discussions with artists and gallerists and live video walkthroughs for viewers to enjoy. Program is going to launch on June 10th, and a preview date will take place on the previous day. Additionally, this launch will coincide with the debut of new and never-before-seen artworks by Jordan Wolfson, Kerry James Marshall, Wolfgang Tillmans and many others.

“Over the last year we realized the traction and engagement that we could create on our own website, without an art-fair moment attached to it,” David Zwirner himself said in a statement. “Program…will mimic the in-person dialogue and discovery you would experience at a physical opening or an art fair through global livestreaming sessions. For the inaugural presentation of Program, our artists have created significant new artworks that will be seen for the very first time, including Kerry James Marshall’s new painting from his series Black and part Black Birds in America.”

Indeed, with Frieze Art Fair in New York booked to the gills with eager attendees this year, many potential visitors were not able to acquire tickets. Something like Program could be a novel and accessible method of communication for galleries going forward.