London Art Fair 2026: Should I go or not?

I almost didn’t go to the London Art Fair this year (even with a press pass). My brain was already full and the idea of adding one more thing to my mental to-do list felt…ambitious. But I went. In a low-pressure, no-expectations kind of way and I’m glad with that approach.

What I loved straight away was being welcomed by textile work at the entrance. Soft, tactile, patient. It felt generous, and honestly refreshing. I really hope textiles keep taking up more space in the coming years, not as a side note but as a main voice. They slow you down, and fairs need that.

Some booths were genuinely well curated. You step inside and suddenly you’re in a world, not just in front of objects for sale. I always gravitate towards those spaces. That’s when a fair works for me.

But then the corridors narrowed on the sides, and something familiar crept in. Not everything, of course, but overall. Similar booths, similar aesthetics, similar conversations. The kind where you start recognising patterns rather than being surprised. It’s not bad, just predictable. And predictability is the quiet danger of art fairs.

So this isn’t really a review. Or maybe yes. Or more of a check-in. The London Art Fair did what it does but it also reminded me how important risk and reinvention are, especially in a format that can so easily repeat itself. I left before my brain melted, which felt like a win.