Liste Art Fair 2026: 105 Galleries, 41 First-Timers, and a Shift from 'Young' to Blue-Chip
The 2026 edition of Liste Art Fair in Basel featured 105 galleries from 36 countries, with 41 first-time participants. The fair, now 30 years old, has moved from Werkraum Warteck to Messe Basel, shedding its 'Young Art Fair' label. Artist-run initiatives curated the 'Wall' section independently. Notable works included Margaux Moonen Guillaume's photographic textiles at Cibrián, Maryam Jafri's new word 'Manopause?!' at Matteo Cantarella, and Kelechi Amaka Madumere's Helvetia Art Prize-winning monument. Other highlights: Larry Johnson's color-block painting spelling 'SUPERCALIFORNIAFAGGOTEXPIALIDOCIOUS', Aurora Arazzi's Seoul street-object assemblages, Kemil Bekteši's bread-baking reflection on labor, and Vincent Sheers's decay garden with butterflies on an oscilloscope. The fair maintained a calm, confident atmosphere despite dense programming in the Foyer by Daisy Chain and Juliette Desourgues, and upstairs Spine Book Forum with Anders Clausen x Carhartt WIP collaboration. The author, a former participant, noted the strategic sophistication behind seemingly casual artistic tendencies.
Key facts
- Liste Art Fair 2026 took place in Basel, moving from Werkraum Warteck to Messe Basel.
- 105 galleries from 36 countries participated, 41 for the first time.
- Artist-run initiatives curated the 'Wall' section independently.
- Margaux Moonen Guillaume showed photographic prints layered with stained textiles at Cibrián.
- Maryam Jafri introduced the word 'Manopause?!' in a survey at Matteo Cantarella.
- Kelechi Amaka Madumere won the Helvetia Art Prize and installed a monument.
- Larry Johnson's painting spelled 'SUPERCALIFORNIAFAGGOTEXPIALIDOCIOUS'.
- Aurora Arazzi collected objects from Seoul streets and placed them in tracing paper.
- Kemil Bekteši baked bread to reflect on his father, labor, and migration.
- Vincent Sheers created a garden of decay with butterflies on an oscilloscope.
- The Foyer was transformed by Daisy Chain and Juliette Desourgues.
- Spine Book Forum featured a collaboration between Anders Clausen and Carhartt WIP.
- The author previously participated as an artist and had a film in the 2026 program.
- The fair is described as no longer 'young' but a sophisticated maker of emerging artists.
Entities
Artists
- Margaux Moonen Guillaume
- Wei Leng Tay
- Vyatautas Kumzâ
- Giorgos Tigkas
- Maryam Jafri
- Coco Klockner
- Larry Johnson
- Kelechi Amaka Madumere
- Aurora Arazzi
- Kemil Bekteši
- Vincent Sheers
- Ruofan Chen
- Mariann Metsis
- Antonio Lopez
- Emanuel de Caralvo
- Katie Shannon
- Juliette Desourgues
- Anders Clausen
Institutions
- Liste Art Fair
- Messe Basel
- Werkraum Warteck
- Cibrián
- Matteo Cantarella
- O-Townhouse
- Helvetia Art Prize
- sangheeut
- Paulina Caspari
- Shower
- Margot Samel
- TINA
- Daisy Chain
- Spine Book Forum
- Carhartt WIP
- Contemporary Art Issue
Locations
- Basel
- Switzerland
- Seoul
- South Korea
- Penang
- Malaysia