“The Other Art Fair” in Los Angeles grows 40%: independent artists’ fair defies market contraction

LOS ANGELES – The Other Art Fair, presented by Saatchi Art, has reported 40 percent growth for its Los Angeles edition in February 2026, with similarly positive signs in Atlanta, where the fair added a new edition in 2024, as USA Art News (Observer Arts) reports. The figures show the public is buying more and more directly from artists, while traditional fairs face market contraction.

Unlike classic fairs like Frieze or Art Basel, this fair has no dealers: artists buy their own space and sell their works directly to collectors. Launched in 2011, it holds 11 events a year in the United States and Britain, two of them in Los Angeles. The current edition is held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica through September 27, with 160 new artists selected by Carlye Packer, Essence Harden, Siting Wang and Briana Salatino.

Director Nicole Garton says: “We don’t deal at all with other fairs’ prices. It’s a completely different art audience.” According to her, the public buys directly from artists, with more frequency and higher prices than before. Works are encouraged to be under 36 inches. This clashes with the “blue-chip” fairs, where dealers like Marian Goodman are pulling out due to high costs.

This year’s edition also includes interactive elements: Gina Su’s “Leave a Fortune, Take a Fortune” installation (fortunes written on a giant Chinese cookie), typewritten poetry by The Haikuists, and “The Other Open” mini-golf, with three courses created by Suze Riley, Isabel Arenda and Heather Bellino. On September 25, Dolly Day was held, a party dedicated to Dolly Parton, with original works under $500. The “Fall 2026 New Futures” prize was won by Lisa Tse, a former graphic designer known for leopard and garden works, who receives mentorship and free space.

Since its founding, the fair has hosted nearly 10,000 artists, sold over 100,000 works and generated over $50 million in sales. Revenue comes from space sales, tickets, the bar and an 18 percent commission on art sales. The fair has lost its Dallas location, as the free spaces were converted into data centers.