Elsewhere Fair
Yowie Hotel
230 South St.
Philadelphia
Through June 6, 2026
You know the old saying, “there’s strength in numbers”? Well that couldn’t be more true at the inaugural Elsewhere Fair. Opting for an unconventional presentation organized by Megan Galadari of Philly’s Blah Blah Gallery, the show brings twenty galleries and their respective artists together for an immersive experience at the Yowie Hotel. Instead of the usual gallery set-up, artists have arranged their works on display throughout the rooms and corridors of the stylish hotel. At times I did find myself a bit confused, wondering where the exhibits began and the hotel ended, but that honestly added to the allure of the space. As you move in and out of the rooms of the three-story hotel, it evokes the feeling of exploring the upstairs of a house party.
The art styles of Elsewhere Fair vary from room to room; there is so much to be discovered that I had to make two or three laps just to be sure I caught as much as I could. One of the pieces I found myself going back to often was from Chicago based artist Allesandra Norman. Norman created a series of fossils specifically for Elsewhere Fair and the one that really stuck with me was the fossilized cursors pictured above. Seeing a physical fossilization of something that I’ve only engaged with digitally filled me with questions. With the rise of touchscreens, will people in 100 years even know the significance of a cursor? What other digital things from my lifetime will soon become obsolete? How will my digital footprint be preserved for future generations?
I was intrigued by all the different ways that artists found to display their works. There was art on kitchen countertops, on beds, and even in the bathrooms. With some rooms housing multiple artists, at times I felt like I was in an episode of Room Raiders, trying to determine which art belonged to which artist and drawing my own conclusions based on how the art was displayed.
The piece that spoke to me the most, which I intentionally didn’t include a photo of, was a photograph by Bev Grant on the third floor. Nestled in their exhibit about migrant laborers in the days following a deadly train crash is a photo of a busy cafe or diner, filled with people eagerly waiting inside and going about their day outside. Everyone is in their own world, unaware of Grant’s camera, except one small boy inside the diner looking directly at the camera, and by proxy, the viewer. For some reason, this fourth wall break stuck with me. When I photograph pro wrestling, I try to avoid shots where the subject is blatantly aware of the camera. The juxtaposition of capturing these staged moments in the most candid way possible is part of the thrill for me. Yet I kept coming back to this photo in a gleeful loop of observation between myself, the young boy, and Bev Grant. Amid the crowd of people swarming the hotel; of seemingly endless artworks all over the walls; of buzzing conversations and questions regarding humanity's past and future; the intimacy of this direct eye contact frozen at a particular moment in time kept me rooted in place.
I encourage to readers to seek out this photo, and see if they too find themselves in that same loop. Find out more about Elsewhere Fair and related events here
