What to see at Portal: Governors Island

The 12th edition of the artist-run fair Portal: Governors Island (previously called the Governors Island Art Fair) presents work by more than 80 international artists across four historic homes in Colonels Row in the decommissioned military base, where various rooms, hallways and the garden serve as galleries brimming with paintings, sculptures, photographs, video installations and other works. The co-founders of 4heads, the non-profit organisation that operates the fair, reviewed more than 800 applications this year. “When we’re sifting through proposals, we’re looking out for smartness and catchiness—we don’t care too much about your CV or whether you already have gallery representation,” says the artist and 4heads co-founder Nicole Laemmle. “We started the fair 12 years ago with the mission to support art we believe in and that’s what we’re still doing today.” The event provides invaluable exposure for emerging and mid-career artists, with around 40,000 attendees in the 2018 edition of the fair (a figure that organisers expect to surpass this year). “Every year there’s more and more momentum,” Laemmle says. The fair, which is free to browse through, runs every weekend from 31 August to 29 September. Here are some of the must-see works: