Scruffy But Smart

A lot of new galleries are setting up shop in the belly of the beast of Chelsea. Rents aren't cheap but the crowds are there. Some of these places are opening big and glitzy and look like they're ready to vie with the big boys (e.g., Bortolami Dayan at 510 West 25th Street). Some are barely opening at all.

That's the story with Freight + Volume, a mini-space on the main drag of West 24th Street, which opened with the jobbed-out paintings and tricked-out videos of Texan Ludwig Schwartz, before closing the very next day so contractors could finish what they started. It is a scruffy show with a lot of heart and smarts, even if it is a little familiar in its funkiness. Still, in only one night, Freight + Volume, as well as Schwartz, whets the appetite. If all goes well the gallery reopens this week.