Last month during New York City’s marathon of spring art fairs, GSH Contemporary, a newly launched advisory firm from Zurich, unveiled a thoughtfully curated exhibition in a penthouse on the 78th floor of the luxury Sutton Tower, set against Manhattan’s iconic skyline. While collaborations between art advisory firms or galleries and real estate developers are nothing new—especially as a strategy to promote ultra-luxury properties—this project moved beyond decorative staging. Unlike ventures where art merely adorns a space, the works in “SUTTON 78” featured ambitious installations that responded to the site’s interior and exterior architecture in genuinely integrated, site-specific ways—including a mesmerizing intervention by South Korean artist Kimsooja, who transformed a window into a radiant portal that refracted the expansive view, amplifying its magic.
“This project came about somewhat serendipitously,” GSH Contemporary project lead Hannah Halbheer said as we walked through the space. “Last November, I was in New York and attended an event in one of the Sutton Tower penthouses. The skyscraper had only recently begun selling its apartments, so many units were still empty—a blank canvas ripe for a project like this.”
At the event, Halbheer was struck by the space’s sweeping city views, soaring ceilings and vast white walls. The idea came quickly, and she struck up a conversation with Josh D’Ambrosio, who leads marketing and sales for Sutton Tower, about the possibility of staging an exhibition. The Sutton Tower team was immediately enthusiastic, and that exchange became the foundation for the collaboration from which “SUTTON 78” was born.
Raphael Hefti that filters light in vivid hues of yellow, orange, and blue, with the Empire State Building visible in the background.” width=”970″ height=”1454″ data-caption=’“SUTTON 78” curators Hannah Halbheer and Annie Taylor. <span class=”lazyload media-credit”>Kate Glicksberg</span>’>
GSH Contemporary officially kicked off the project in mid-January, giving the team just four months to put the exhibition together. Not long after, Annie Taylor came on board to oversee logistics, project planning and on-the-ground operations in New York. “Her presence and connections in the city were crucial; we couldn’t manage everything from Zurich,” Halbheer told Observer.
When planning began, GSH Contemporary had yet to officially launch. The firm, which debuted last April, was spun off from Gerber & Stauffer—a leading Zurich-based art dealer focused on the secondary market—to pursue contemporary art projects with a broader, more experimental scope. “While we do offer advisory services, our main goal is to create new platforms for artists in the art world,” Halbheer explained. “Staging an exhibition in a space like this—featuring five artists from different parts of the world, at varying stages in their careers—aligned perfectly with our mission.”
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Although GSH Contemporary hadn’t initially planned to expand into the U.S., the opportunity was too compelling to ignore. When Halbheer first encountered the space, with its soaring ceilings, sweeping views and luminous natural light, it was immediately clear it wasn’t a setting for simply hanging canvases. “Traditional paintings would’ve been overwhelmed in this context,” she said. The first artist who came to mind was Kimsooja, with her To Breathe installation. “Securing her participation was a pivotal moment.”
The rest of the exhibition evolved naturally from that first encounter with the space. From the outset, the guiding principle was that each artist’s work had to respond to its surroundings—especially the dramatic skyline visible through the windows. “There had to be a dialogue with New York itself,” Halbheer clarified. Building on that core principle, she and Taylor developed a shortlist of artists early in the process, and it hardly changed. Each of the five artists was given their own room and each responded to the space with works that resonated with the space in a distinctly site-specific way.
Victoria Holdt hang in front of a sunset skyline, casting a soft glow inside the penthouse gallery space.” width=”970″ height=”646″ data-caption=’Victoria Holdt, <em>Simmering Shields</em> (2024). <span class=”lazyload media-credit”>Kate Glicksberg Photography</span>’>
Notably, the exhibition created an opportunity to introduce three Swiss talents (Victoria Holdt, Francisco Sierra and Raphael Hefti) to New York during one of the city’s most dynamic cultural moments. “We’ve known and followed each of them for quite some time, and we share a personal connection that adds another layer to the collaboration,” Halbheer said. “We believe deeply in their practices and feel their work deserves recognition far beyond Switzerland.”
From a curatorial standpoint, their work fit naturally into the concept of the show. Each engages with their medium and the space itself—the architecture, the atmosphere and the sweeping skyline. “Their ability to respond to and interact with the environment made them a natural fit for ‘SUTTON 78,’” Taylor added.
Holdt, who is the youngest artist in the trio and exhibiting for the first time outside Switzerland, transformed her assigned room into an immersive, meditative environment—a refuge of contemplation, listening and introspection amid the city’s bustle. Shimmering Shields is a deep sound installation that interacts with neon lighting, subtle vibrations and the architectural contours of the space, all set against the sweeping backdrop of the Manhattan skyline. The installation evolves throughout the day, responding to changes in light and weather, but becomes especially striking when night falls and the red neon floods the room, casting a reflective, almost otherworldly glow. “She’s at the very beginning of her career and works primarily with video, sound, light and organic forms, exploring the interplay between micro and macro perspectives,” explained Halbheer as we enter the space. “Her work creates a multisensory experience that fully envelops the viewer.”
Holdt also contributed another series of works: an installation of ten sculptural lamps made of ceramic, each featuring delicate, glue-formed leaves. Lilies pays homage to female energies and power, with each lily named after an influential woman in history—for example, Lily Marie honors scientist Marie Curie. “These works carry both poetic and conceptual weight, connecting the intimate with the monumental,” said Taylor.
Francisco Sierra may already be familiar to New York audiences, having participated in last year’s Art Basel Unlimited and winning the People’s Pick Award for a large installation of Guppy paintings. For “SUTTON 78,” Sierra installed thirty small-format paintings, each depicting a close-up of an eye, meticulously painted on wood. Conceived as a single installation titled Eyes, the works together form a broader portrait of human diversity, encompassing a wide range of skin tones, iris colors and facial features. “The work resonates particularly well with New York—a city defined by its diversity and the anonymity of its crowds,” said Halbheer. “These faces mirror the everyday experience of being surrounded by strangers from vastly different backgrounds, all sharing the same urban space.”
What makes the work even more compelling is that none depict real people. Sierra sourced all of the faces from an A.I.-generated image database, constructing entirely artificial individuals. This introduces a deeper layer of complexity, challenging our perception of selfhood and presence by blurring the line between sensorial, psychological and virtual experience. “The eyes—often considered windows to the soul—in this case, belong to non-existent people,” observed Taylor. “The work quietly comments on the digital age, identity and the ever-thinner boundary between reality and simulation.”
Sierra also contributed a second work that reveals a more humorous and playful side—a broom with a painted flute affixed to the top. Placed unexpectedly in the hallway near the elevators, it catches visitors off guard and often elicits a smile. “The contrast between the intensity of the Eyes series and the whimsy of the broom offers a fuller picture of Sierra’s personality and artistic range,” Halbheer said.
Meanwhile, Raphael Hefti presents two mesmerizing reflective surfaces animated by the color spectrum of light. Though they initially appear to be large mirrors, these works are made from museum glass, each composed of two panes. Typically, museum glass is engineered to be as invisible as possible—used to protect artworks without reflecting light or revealing the viewer’s reflection. Here, Hefti subverts that purpose entirely, transforming the material into a dynamic artwork in its own right. By over-processing and pushing the material beyond its intended function, he discovered that it begins to do the opposite of what it was designed for: gaining reflectivity, taking on color and becoming a vibrant, imperfect mirror of its surroundings.
Hefti also already had significant international exposure and is currently featured in Desert X in California, alongside Kimsooja. Within the context of “SUTTON 78,” his work has a particularly striking effect—one of the pieces is installed in a room with a direct view of the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. When standing in front of it, the viewer sees not only their own reflection but also the iconic skyline behind them, creating a layered convergence of material, place and perception.
GSH Contemporary and artist-driven collaboration
As more creatives embrace fluid, alternative models of collaboration beyond the traditional gallery-artist dynamic, GSH Contemporary’s approach feels timely. “Over the past few years, we’ve been closely observing changes in the art market, and it became clear that there was a need for something different,” Halbheer said. “That realization was a key driver behind launching GSH Contemporary—a response to an evolving landscape where new platforms for artists are more essential than ever.”
She acknowledged that galleries still play a vital role in the art market—as stewards of taste, providers of long-term support and sources of critical validation—Halbheer sees a future in more dynamic partnerships between galleries, other art-world entities and even other industries.
According to Halbheer, GSH Contemporary isn’t a classic advisory firm. While advisory services are part of what they offer, their primary focus is on building a new kind of community around contemporary art—one that creates fresh, adaptable opportunities for artists outside the conventional gallery model. “We’re actively exploring alternative approaches to collaboration and engagement, constantly seeking ways to connect art with broader cultural narratives,” she said.
When asked how she defines the role of an art advisor in today’s ecosystem, Halbheer admits the title is inherently ambiguous. “It can encompass a wide range of roles, from simply assisting collectors with purchases to cultivating a deep, ongoing relationship where you’re building a collection from the ground up.” In many cases, she added, those relationships evolve into something more personal—almost like a friendship—especially when they involve long-term engagement with artists and the development of a collector’s vision.
“It’s about creating access, fostering understanding and opening up the art world to those who may not yet feel part of it,” Halbheer continued. At the same time, she emphasized independence: an advisor should always act in the client’s best interest rather than represent a fixed roster of artists. “Of course, every advisor has their own preferences, a distinct eye or a particular ‘taste,’ which naturally influences the types of artists and works they introduce to their clients. But that individuality is precisely what makes each advisor-collector relationship unique.”
“We aim to build a community and develop lasting relationships with people, whether they’re established collectors or just beginning to engage with art. Through meaningful experiences, thoughtful exposure to new artists and ongoing education, we hope to inspire the next generation of collectors and art lovers.”
GSH Contemporary on navigating market uncertainty
As GSH Contemporary also operates on the more traditional advisory and brokerage side of the art market, we asked for their take on the current state of the market. “There was a palpable sense of tension and uncertainty leading into the art fair week. Many people were anxious about how things would unfold,” Halbheer replied, adding that even for them, the uncertainty created serious logistical concerns. “We weren’t sure we’d be able to proceed with the exhibition due to ongoing discussions around tariffs, which escalated and peaked during the very week we were supposed to ship the Swiss works out of Zurich.”
“That sense of instability was felt across the entire art world,” she continued. “From what we heard, some galleries at the fairs were pleasantly surprised by sales, performing better than expected given the circumstances. The overall quality of work on view also seemed higher than anticipated. While the broader market climate remains challenging, there were still moments of optimism.”
Halbheer also acknowledged that it’s a difficult time not just for the art market but for many sectors, as the global economy continues to be shaped by volatility, which affects both confidence and spending. This is especially evident when it comes to investing in emerging artists. “From what we gathered, sales of more established names held relatively steady, while younger, lesser-known artists faced greater challenges gaining traction and placement,” she said. “Of course, perspectives vary—everyone has a slightly different read on the market depending on their position. The feedback we received from the fairs has been mixed.” However, the key takeaway is clear: it’s a complex moment, and that complexity is unlikely to resolve anytime soon. “It will be interesting to see what kind of tone Art Basel sets next.”
“SUTTON 78” is on view, by appointment, through September 2025.
