July 2–5, 2026
Latvia
Kim? Contemporary Art Centre announces the second edition of Riga Contemporary, taking place July 2–5, 2026, at the culture space Hanzas Perons in Riga, Latvia. The international contemporary art fair returns with over 40 galleries from 15 countries confirmed to date, and more to come. Now firmly established as one of the most significant new platforms for contemporary art in the Baltic states and Eastern Europe, Riga Contemporary remains free to attend with prior registration.
The inaugural edition welcomed more than 12,000 visitors over four days and brought together 43 galleries from 16 countries, presenting works by over 100 artists from across Europe, Asia, and North America. The fair returns for a second year with an expanded programme and a growing international roster. It is organised by Kim? Contemporary Art Centre, a member of the New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA), in collaboration with Riga City Council. Its curatorial direction has been developed by Kim? together with Jeffrey Rosen, co-founder of MISAKO & ROSEN (Tokyo) and co-president of NADA.
The Baltic states and the wider Eastern European region are home to some of the most dynamic artistic communities in Europe. Riga Contemporary brings these scenes together, creating a space where galleries from the region present themselves alongside established international spaces. With deliberately accessible participation fees and free public entry, the fair prioritises cultural exchange, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing over commercial exclusivity.
"With the second edition, we are building on the trust and momentum established in the inaugural year. Our ambition is to cultivate a lasting ecosystem for contemporary art in a region where creative energy has not yet been matched by the infrastructure of the art market," says Zane Čulkstēna, founder of Kim? Contemporary Art Centre. "Riga Contemporary is proof that meaningful art events can emerge from the periphery, and that the periphery has its own power."
Galleries from Tokyo to New York, Tbilisi to Bratislava
International galleries confirmed for 2026 include MISAKO & ROSEN (Tokyo); Jenny's, Polina Berlin, Margot Samel and The Gallery (New York); Good Weather, TALA, Weatherproof and Met Him Pike Hoses (Chicago); Gattopardo (Los Angeles); Green Gallery (Milwaukee); Kristina Kite (Los Angeles); Galerina (London); PROVENCE (Zurich); Castiglioni and eastcontemporary (Milan); Bukia Vakhania (Tbilisi); Gauli Zitter and Kin (Brussels); nico bernath (Bratislava); Ivan Gallery (Bucharest); Leto (Warsaw); Longtermhandstand (Budapest); new garden galerie (Paris); and Pitted Dates and SIC (Helsinki).
The Baltic line-up includes Alma, 427, ISSP Gallery, Kim?, LOOK! Gallery, Māksla XO, Part Time Gallery and TUR Telpa (Riga); Art Station Dubulti (Jūrmala); Artrovert, Temnikova & Kasela and Tütar Gallery (Tallinn); Kogo Gallery (Tartu); Meno Parkas (Kaunas); and The Rooster Gallery and Vartai (Vilnius).
A fair with a different logic
Most international art fairs are built around exclusivity. Riga Contemporary is built around exchange. Deliberately accessible participation fees and free public entry place collaboration and conversation ahead of commercial gatekeeping.
Public programme: July 3–4
Powered by SORAINEN, the Public Programme transforms Hanzas Perons into a forum on the shifting conditions of the contemporary art field. Free and open to all, this year's line-up gathers museum directors, market authorities, gallerists, collectors and artists, including Anne Barlow (Director, Tate St Ives), Melanie Gerlis (Art Market Correspondent, Financial Times, London), Emily Watlington (Deputy Editor, Art in America / ARTnews, New York), Saara Hacklin (Chief Curator, Kiasma / Finnish National Gallery, Helsinki), Sebastian Cichocki (University of Arts in Poznań, Warsaw), Sarah Philp (Deputy Director, Delfina Foundation, London), Julie Quottrup Silbermann (CEO, CHART Art Fair, Copenhagen), Gilles Neies (Artistic Director, Art Düsseldorf, Berlin), Juliana Halpert (Editor, e-flux Education, Los Angeles), and artists Flo Kasearu (Tallinn), Andris Eglītis (Riga), Robertas Narkus (Vilnius), Tobias Kaspar (Zurich) and MAREUNROL'S (Riga). Conversations range from the future of regional art fairs to private patronage, corporate collecting, digital ownership, and fashion at the intersection of contemporary art and culture.
The fair is made possible by Kim? Contemporary Art Centre and Riga City Council, together with General Sponsor Citadele, Public Programme partner SORAINEN, Children's Zone supporter BTA, and Inchcape, alongside a wider network of cultural, business, and hospitality partners whose support reflects a shared belief that contemporary art is central to Riga's identity as a creative European capital. The full partner roster is available at rigacontemporary.com.
Riga Contemporary 2026 2–5 July 2026 | Hanzas Perons, Hanzas iela 16a, Riga.
Free admission with prior registration. rigacontemporary.com / @rigacontemporary
