Thursday Night Lights

Ilana Savdie
Ilana Savdie has a lot to say about her work. But don’t let her overblown ideas put you off; her painting, always challenging and technically interesting, is getting better and better. Photo: Frankie Tyska/Courtesy of White Cube
Marion Maneker
May 2, 2025

It’s a time-honored tradition that gallery openings take place on Thursday nights: The various art tribes circulate from one gallery to the next like it’s some combination of Halloween, New Year’s Eve, and Mardi Gras. But at a time when the art fairs and auction houses are about to take center stage, the gallery openings can pile on top of each other. It’s a great way to bump into casual acquaintances, see old friends, and make some new ones. But it’s also a terrible way to view art—literally. The openings get so crowded that you physically cannot see the works on display.