Ki Smith Gallery

Ki Smith Gallery is an art gallery in the Lower East Side of New York City. Founded in 2018 by Ki Smith the gallery focuses on long lasting relationships with New York based artists, "drawing inspiration from dealers of the 1970s-like Richard Bellamy or Paula Cooper-who were often the same age or not much older than the artists they represented."

History
Ki Smith opened Ki Smith Gallery in 2018 with an inaugural event in collaboration with Ryan Bock titled the Bock Brick Benefit. Many of the original artists working with Ki Smith Gallery were also associated with Smith’s previous gallery and underground nightclub (Apostrophe NYC) which he ran from 2012 to 2018. The gallery was best known for its guerilla art exhibitions at the Whitney Museum and MoMA PS1.

In 2019, Smith opened Ki Smith Gallery's first brick and mortar location in an empty retail space at 712 W 125th Street in Harlem which was donated by David and Pernilla Avital of MTP Invest, for two years where they showcased their represented artists and developed a publication program. Later in 2019, Ki Smith enlisted the rights coordinator of MoMA's publication department, Naomi Falk (also of Archway Editions) to help cofound Ki Smith Gallery's editorial department. Contributing writers for publications include Chris Molnar and Bob Holman. In 2020, the Gallery moved downtown to open 197 East 4th Street, and in 2021 expanded, creating a second location at 311 E 3rd Street. In 2021 they collaborated with the Arte Laguna Prize as part of their "Artist in Gallery" special prize. In 2022, the Gallery expanded again to the Lower East Side at 170 Forsyth Street where it continues to build its program.

In August of 2023, Ki Smith Gallery held its first annual juried exhibition, allowing artists from all over the world to submit their work for consideration to be included in a group exhibition spanning both floors of the gallery. Applications for its second annual juried exhibition closed on May 20th, 2024 and the exhibiting artists will be selected shortly.

Artists
The gallery has exhibited artists including:
 * Ryan Bock
 * James Rubio
 * Caslon Bevington
 * Charlie Hudson
 * Bruno Smith
 * James Reyes
 * Luke Ivy Price
 * Andy Warhol
 * The Love Child
 * David Burnett
 * Jill Freedman
 * Angelica Yudasto
 * Sono Kuwayama
 * Kiyomi Quinn Taylor
 * Ari Marcopoulos
 * Jonas Mekas
 * Michael Stipe
 * Jorge Luis Rodríguez
 * Marcos Dimas
 * Elsie Deliz

Performances at Ki Smith Gallery
At their current space on Forsyth Street, Ki Smith Gallery has a stage with a full PA and backline where they regularly host performances. Acts such as musicians, playwrights, poets, filmmakers, and more have shown their work in the intimate lower-level performance space.