Art Basel Paris 2026: Five Ascendant Artists to Watch, From Moka Lee to Ibrahim Mahama

Ahead of Art Basel Paris's VVIP opening on Oct. 20, 2026, CULTURED spotlighted five artists aged 45 or younger poised for breakout moments. The fair's Emergence sector, dedicated to young artists, hosts 16 solo booths on the Grand Palais's balcony level; six former Emergence exhibitors have graduated to the main sector, and more than 30 of the fair's 211 galleries are under a decade old. Moka Lee, 30, based in Seoul, shows with Carlos/Ishikawa; her oil paintings source social media imagery and explore 'surface tension' of digital selfhood, and her booth marks her first presentation in France. Nat Faulkner, 31, London-based, exhibits with Brunette Coleman in Emergence, presenting camera-less photographs and electroplated brass book sculptures. Ibrahim Mahama, 39, who works across Accra, Kumasi, and Tamale, shows with White Cube and opens his first Paris solo at Fondation Cartier on Oct. 22, curated by Aby Gaye-Duparc, with an Oct. 23 talk at the Grand Palais. Asma Belhamar, 37, Dubai-based, presents ceramics and drawings with Green Art Gallery in Emergence, drawing on Emirati architectural memory. Yu Nishimura, 44, from Kanagawa Prefecture, exhibits a recent painting with Crèvecoeur; his first French institutional solo opens at Lafayette Anticipations on Oct. 21. The selection reflects the fair's efforts to foreground rising talent alongside established galleries.