Painter Sonya Sklaroff is known for turning NYC neighborhoods into art. And now an NYC neighborhood has transformed into a gallery of her creations.
The new event, NoHo Art Nexus: Outside In, features Sklaroff’s paintings in 17 locations throughout Noho. The artworks are on view through May 28 at local stores, cafes, and bars in the neighborhood, making for a perfect DIY art crawl (keep scrolling for the full list).
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Sklaroff’s oil-on-canvas works capture the dreamy dusk hours downtown. Buildings are silhouetted against darkening skies while colorful windows illuminate the scene and inspire curiosity. Who lives there in that Manhattan apartment? What are they doing inside? You’ll catch a glimpse of intimate everyday moments—a woman preparing for bed, a couple sharing a quiet moment, friends dining together.
The artist’s paintings invite viewers to stand outside and peer into private worlds. Now thanks to Art Nexus, the paintings also inspire New Yorkers to step inside local businesses they may have never experienced.
Participating businesses will offer maps and passports, so you can collect stamps along the way. Those who complete the artistic trail can enter to win prizes, including a signed catalog, prints, and other gifts.
The NoHo Business Improvement District invited Sklaroff to transform the neighborhood into her own personal gallery for the month of May as a way to “invigorate the neighborhood with its unique charm.”
Sklaroff’s work captures the magic of NoHo.
“For over 50 years Noho has been a haven for artists inspired by the unique architecture and urban fabric of the neighborhood,” Chandler Forsythe, the nonprofit’s director of operations and community engagement says. “Sklaroff’s work captures the magic of NoHo.”
In one work, titled “NoHo neighbors,” two water towers stand silhouetted against a vibrant blue evening sky while nighttime scenes unfold in an apartment building. In “Stained glass apartments,” an intricate iron-clad fire escape pops against a red dusk sky.
The NYC-based Sklaroff has exhibited work across the U.S. and abroad. You may have seen her paintings featured on LinkNYC’s 4,000 digital kiosks across the city or heard her name in Sex and the City. Last year, she painted New Yorkers’ secrets.
For her, New York City makes a perfect muse.
“As dusk envelops the streets, my gaze drifts upwards, drawn to the striking silhouettes of New York City’s iconic architecture against the evening sky. Each window emits a vibrant glow, casting a kaleidoscope of colors in a mesmerizing dance. And within each illuminated pane lies a miniature world of human activity. From the warmth of shared meals to the solitude of reading or watching TV, these scenes unfold inside, hidden within the urban landscape,” she says. “Through my paintings of NoHo and beyond, I strive to capture these moments, inviting viewers into the lives of the strangers who occupy our collective metropolis. These anonymous faces populate our surroundings, at once familiar and enigmatic. As we look from the outside in, I imagine the stories of these strangers-yet-neighbors, embracing the anonymity of city life.”
Here’s where to see her work this month:
- ATLA – 372 Lafayette St.
- Away – 10 Bond St.
- Bleecker Street Bar – 648 Broadway
- Bond 07 by Selima – 7 Bond St.
- Cozy’s Soup n Burger- 739 Broadway
- The Evolution Store- 687 Broadway
- Haven Spa – 250 Mercer St.
- Il Buco Alimentari – 53 Great Jones St.
- Lafayette – 380 Lafayette St.
- LINES NYC – 302 Bowery
- Little Market NYC – 637 Broadway
- M&D Shapiro Hardware – 7 Great Jones St.
- ORA Space – 9 E 4th St.
- Rooq – 13 B E 4th St.
- Sabah – 56 Bleecker St.
- Slowear – 333 Lafayette St.
- Wildlike – 49 Bond St.