Behind this unassuming facade two doors up from the New Museum of Contemporary on the Bowery is the Salon 94 Gallery. While I don't see mention of the project on their website, the gallery is designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects, according to a helpful gent at the New Museum and the NYC BIS.
Upon entering, one can walk left to a small desk area or descend a straight-run stair to the cellar. Two linear pieces prevail in the stairwell: a steel beam running from the front door to the double-height gallery space, and a handrail cut into the drywall.
The handrail is a non-detail, minimalism taken to an extreme.
The white-cube gallery is predictably sparse, all drywall and concrete, minus the fluorescent lighting, the skylight along the back wall, and the steel beam jutting into the space. When looking back towards the stair (below), the rusty steel beam is at its most aggressive. It offers promise for large-scale artwork to be carried along its length to the tall gallery space.
