Rockella Midtown | Open Studios 2026 | Rockella Space

ROCKELLA MIDTOWN:

Open Studios, 2026

Written by: S A

UPDATE: Rockella Midtown Open Studios

Due to an expected snowstorm forecasted to impact travel and city operations, Rockella Midtown Open Studios will not take place on Sunday.

The event will continue as planned on Saturday, January 24, from 1–6pm.
Sunday’s Open Studios have been postponed to Saturday, January 31, from 1–6pm.

This schedule change also affects the FREE public workshops hosted by our RRASP Partner Resident, New Renaissance Arts Center (NRAC), which will now take place on Saturday, January 31, at the originally advertised times.

We appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming you this Saturday and again on January 31.

January 24–25, 1–6pm
520 8th Ave, 24th Floor, Manhattan

This January, Rockella Space opens the doors of its newest location for the first-ever Rockella Midtown Open Studios. For one weekend, the public is invited inside our Manhattan studios to experience the work, processes, and practices of artists creating within the Rockella community.

Open Studios offer a unique opportunity to engage directly with artists, see works in progress, and explore how creative practices unfold within a shared studio environment. Visitors will also be able to tour available studio spaces and learn more about becoming part of the Rockella ecosystem.

Participating Artists

STUDIO 2427

Anna Zaiachkivska (Zaia) is a multidisciplinary artist working across painting, performance, music, and humanitarian activism. Born in 1991 in Ivano-Frankivsk, Western Ukraine, her practice is informed by her cultural heritage, classical training, and a belief in art as a catalyst for emotional and social connection.

Zaia earned a B.A. with a concentration in iconography from Vasyl Stefanyk Subcarpathian National University in 2013, followed by a Master of Fine Art in 2014. Her contemporary work draws from sacred visual traditions while exploring themes of femininity, spirituality, resilience, and transformation through expressive gesture and vibrant color.

She has exhibited widely in the United States, including solo and group exhibitions at Tenri Gallery, Caelum Gallery, HG Contemporary, Victor Gallery, Galleria Ca’ d’Oro, and Triangle Loft in New York City, as well as participating in the Hamptons Fine Art Fair. Through exhibitions and interdisciplinary presentations, Zaia creates immersive experiences that invite reflection, connection, and hope.

STUDIO 2429

Ray Testa is an artist based in Manhattan, New York, where he lives with his wife Karen. Raised on Long Island and having spent many years in London and Mumbai, Ray draws on a rich tapestry of cultural experiences to inform his creative work. His midtown studio practice spans oil painting, acrylic, ink, watercolor, mixed media, clay, metal, and stone, with each medium offering a unique avenue for expression. Ray is also a published poet and author with several titles to his name.

Check out our recent interview with Ray to learn more about his work!

STUDIO 2248

Yana Kovaleva is a New York–based photographer whose practice is rooted in continuous exploration and self-discovery. Her work has recently expanded into modern textured art, where she experiments with materials, layers, and techniques to better understand what resonates both visually and emotionally.

Influenced by her background in photography and yoga, Kovaleva’s practice is guided by movement, observation, and presence. Rather than adhering to a fixed style, she embraces imperfection and intuition, allowing each piece to reflect a specific moment in her evolving creative journey. Her work foregrounds process over outcome, honoring transformation, awareness, and the quiet accumulation of experience through making.

STUDIO 2423

Helen Yu (b. 1997, Shanghai) is a Chinese-Canadian painter living and working in New York. She earned her B.F.A. from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2020 and a M.A. from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in 2025. Yu’s works explore notions of greed, discipline, and labor as observed in class and gender performance, societal norms, and digital landscapes. Her works have been exhibited in the Woods-Gerry Triennial (Woods-Gerry Gallery, Providence, R.I., 2015); Kunqu (Shanghai Museum of Glass, Shanghai, 2017); The RISD Illustration Show (ISB Gallery, Providence, R.I., 2020), The Other to Itself (Sotheby’s Institute of Art, New York, NY, 2023); 9 (TheBlanc, New York, NY, 2024); Girl Dinner (Uncool Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, 2025).

STUDIO 2438

New Jersey born artist (b. 1994) Natalia Petkov is a multimedia artist whose practice integrates nontraditional methods of making and direct interaction with the natural world to explore the interconnectedness between humans and the environment. Petkov earned her MFA from Pratt Institute in 2021. She was an Artist in Residence at the Burren College of Art, in Ireland (2024). In 2026, she will participate in The Arctic Circle Art and Science Expedition, an artist residency bringing together artists and researchers to live and work within the Arctic environment creating art and engaging with the pressing realities of planetary change.

STUDIO 2439

Alexandria Wang is an artist working primarily in printmaking and painting, exploring the relationship between repetition, texture, and surface. Her practice combines layered processes with intuitive mark-making, allowing images to evolve through experimentation and revision.

She is interested in how prints and paintings can hold traces of time, movement, and decision-making, creating space for both control and unpredictability. Drawing from personal observation and everyday experiences, Wang transforms familiar forms into expressive visual compositions. Through this practice, she aims to create work that encourages close looking and invites viewers to engage with material, process, and meaning.

STUDIO 2425

Influenced by ideas of motivated perception and the romantic sublime, Heather Hanson’s work incorporates a mysticism in objects, landscapes, and narratives. In them, she investigates the ineffable in the mundane and practices assigning them esoteric, mystical explanations. It is a phenomenalistic preoccupation that defines her tendency to exhaustively look for signs. Hanson holds a Master of Fine Art at New York Academy of Art and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Hanson’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Her work is held in several private and permanent collections.
STUDIO 2406
Hannah Bang (b. 1998, South Korea) is an interdisciplinary artist based in New York City. Her work spans various media, including video, painting, performance, and installation, focusing on exploring and presenting an understanding of human consciousness.​

Hannah has exhibited her work in solo and group shows across the United States and South Korea. Her notable exhibitions include a solo show at SCAD C-5 in Atlanta, a two-person exhibition at Cedar House Gallery in Savannah, and group shows in New York. 
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In 2023, she completed an NES artist residency in Skagaströnd, Iceland. In addition to her art practice, Hannah is the founder of IN 3 SECONDS, a web magazine that introduces artists and art events. She also curated a group exhibition at 72 Warren St, New York, in 2024.

STUDIO 2412

Delia Hou is a multidisciplinary artist working in abstract oil painting alongside performance, sculpture, and digital media (NFTs, film, and photography as Plastiqu33n). Her recent paintings investigate atmosphere, ambiguity, and perceptual embodiment through color and blurred edges. Her practice is shaped by her diverse background in physics, law, and dance, and living across the USA, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Argentina. She has studied at Proyecto PAC, MANGLAR, and with Miguel Harte in Argentina, and at the Art Students League of New York. She is the founder and director of El Lobby, Center for Artistic Production and Thought in Buenos Aires.

Workshops Hosted by New Renaissance Arts Center (NRAC)

WORKSHOPS RESCHEDULED TO JANUARY 31ST, 1-6 PM DUE TO WEATHER.

We’re proud to be working with New Renaissance Arts Center (NRAC), the inaugural participant in RRASP’s Residency Partnership Program. On Sunday during the Open Studios weekend, NRAC will host a series of FREE public-facing workshops designed to invite learning, dialogue, and hands-on making.

Drawing & Painting Workshop

Date / Time: January 31st, 1-3pm

This creative session invites participants to explore mixed drawing and painting techniques, blending materials and styles in a relaxed, supportive environment.

️ Materials you can work with include:
• Pencil
• Charcoal
• Watercolor
• Oil
• And more!

Whether you’re a beginner curious to experiment or an experienced artist wanting to loosen up and try something new, this workshop is all about creative freedom and exploration.

Basic Engraving Workshop

Date / Time: January 31st, 4-6pm

This hands-on workshop introduces participants to the basics of engraving, guiding you through the process of carving an acrylic sheet to create your own custom stamp for printing on a variety of surfaces.

️ Materials provided include:
• Acrylic sheets for engraving
• Basic engraving tools and supplies
• Paper for printing and testing your stamp

Participants are also welcome to bring their own materials — engraving tools can also be used on surfaces such as metal or wood for those who’d like to experiment further.

Whether you’re new to engraving or looking to expand your printmaking toolkit, this workshop offers an accessible and creative way to explore mark-making, texture, and repeat imagery through stamping.

Art History & Discussion Session

Date / Time: January 25th, 6.30-8pm

This engaging workshop invites participants to explore art history through curated film excerpts featuring influential artists, followed by an open and collaborative group discussion.

What to expect:
• Screenings of selected film excerpts on important artists
• Guided group conversation and shared reflections
• Space for interpretation, questions, and debate

Due to time constraints, films will be presented in fragments rather than full-length screenings, allowing more time for dialogue and exchange.

Whether you’re deeply familiar with art history or simply curious to learn more, this session offers an accessible space to watch, think, and discuss together.

We look forward to welcoming you to the 24th floor.

—
Rockella Space & RRASP