Suite 718

Between April 2011 and January 2021, The Walther Collection operated a project space in Chelsea, New York. Located in Suite 718 of the landmark West Chelsea Arts Building, it became an incubator for ideas, promoting sustained inquiry into the collection’s three main areas of focus: African, Asian and vernacular photography, expanding the history of the medium worldwide. The Project Space presented exhibitions, organized rigorous symposia, hosted public lectures and conversations, and acted as a research hub for the collection’s publications. It was a library, gallery, workspace and “forum for collective thought.” Recording the space’s extensive activities, this book reflects on the significance of The Walther Collection and its lasting impact on the landscape of contemporary art in New York. Suite 718 presents the exhibitions chronologically with select artworks, installation images and texts, as well as an illustrated chronology and overview of the collection’s 53 exhibitions and 18 publications. A new essay by Oluremi C. Onabanjo reflects on the sociality of the Project Space; conversations from the symposium Shifting Dialogues in 2022 explores the unique contributions a private collection can make to the wider field of photography; and an interview between Brendan Embser and Artur Walther reveals the evolution of the space in the Chelsea art scene. Co-published with The Walther Collection, Neu-Ulm and New York