Every summer a serious Chelsea gallery clears its walls for nine photographers who finished their Yale MFA weeks earlier, and a few of those names turn up on museum checklists within the decade. The 2026 class ranges from staged studio work to documentary and camera-less experiments, hung so each artist reads as a mini solo show. It is free, it closes at the end of next week, and it is the cheapest look at photography's near future.
What to expect
Nine distinct bodies of work sharing one large Chelsea space, hung so each artist reads as a mini solo presentation. Scale swings hard between rooms — wall-filling prints next to small, quiet sequences — and the front desk keeps a checklist with each artist's statement.
Good to know
- West 22nd Street between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues, near the C/E at 23rd Street
- Free admission, no booking needed
- Closed Sundays and Mondays
- Ask for the printed checklist to match artists to bodies of work
- Level, ground-floor gallery
- Easy to combine with the other West 22nd Street galleries in one loop
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Common questions
Who is in the exhibition?
The nine members of Yale's 2026 MFA photography class: Christian Badach, Chen Xiangyun, Jasmine Clarke, Faith Couch, Christopher Postlewaite, Olivia Reavey, John Shen, Em Wall and Andrew Warner.
Is it free?
Yes, admission to the gallery is free.
Is work for sale?
The gallery can discuss availability, but the show functions primarily as a thesis presentation.
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