9

9 brings together nine emerging curators from Sotheby’s Institute of Art and nine contemporary artists in a collaborative exhibition on view from December 14, 2023, at THE BLANC in New York City. Each curator–artist pair presents a single work, forming a constellation of installations, paintings, and photographs that reflect a shared spirit of experimentation.

Rather than following a singular curatorial vision, 9 embraces a decentralized, dialogic approach—challenging traditional exhibition-making and spotlighting the creative potential of one-on-one collaboration. The result is a series of distinct curatorial encounters that push boundaries, reimagine authorship, and explore new possibilities for how exhibitions can take shape.

9 is the culmination of SIA's prior student exhibitions: Unrooted: Cultivating Resilience through Art, Interwoven Souls: United in Loneliness, and The Other to Itself. It represents the apex of curatorial brilliance nurtured across these emerging talents. Together, this exceptional cohort will unveil a dynamic and diverse exhibition that delivers exhilarating perspectives and innovative storytelling for the future of contemporary art.

Artists

Youyi Echo Yan, Tom Prinsell, Mitsuko Brooks, Yiwei Lu, Claudia Doring Baez, Linling Lu, Jingyi Wang, Maria Del Pilar Marti, Helen Haoyi Yu

Curators

Monica Zhang, Valentine Botteri, Kanishka Porwal, Daphney Zeng, Federica Jermann Farías, Yijin Chen, Myrtha Herrera A, Leon Levy, Helen Haoyi Yu