From July 2 to 5, takes place at the culture space Hanzas perons in Riga, organised by Kim? Contemporary Art Centre in collaboration with Riga City Council. For the second consecutive year, the fair brings together leading galleries, artists, collectors, and industry professionals from around the world. This year it features over 40 galleries from 15 countries, including Tokyo, New York, London, Milan, Zurich, Helsinki, and the Baltic states, offering an extensive contemporary art programme and free public events.
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.
“Riga Contemporary” aims to strengthen the Baltic region’s role in the international contemporary art scene by creating a platform for collaboration among galleries, artists, collectors, and cultural professionals. With deliberately accessible participation fees for galleries and free entry for visitors, the fair prioritises cultural exchange, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing over commercial exclusivity. It offers not only gallery exhibitions but also discussions, performances, and other public programme activities.
“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.
“Art has long served as a universal language capable of breaking down any borders and uniting society, which is why Riga is truly proud to host and bring together in one place talented artists and leading galleries from the United States and distant Japan, as well as from our nearby Nordic countries and Baltic neighbours. Such ambitious international events vividly affirm our capital’s growing role on the world cultural map and provide invaluable inspiration to the local creative community, fostering cross-border dialogue and opening Riga to new, bold ideas,” said Viesturs Kleinbergs, Chairman of Riga City Council.
Galleries from Tokyo to New York, Tbilisi to Bratislava
“Riga Contemporary” brings together galleries, artists, collectors, and art-industry professionals in one location, providing a venue to exhibit, acquire, and discuss contemporary art. This year the fair includes more than 40 galleries from 15 countries, ranging from Tokyo to New York and from Tbilisi to Bratislava, and representing the Baltic states, the Nordic countries, Central Europe, Japan, and the USA. Approximately 100 artists are represented. The galleries were selected in cooperation with international partners.
Unlike most international art fairs, which operate on a model of exclusivity, Riga Contemporary is structured around exchange. Participation fees are kept accessible and public entry is free, with an emphasis on collaboration and dialogue rather than commercial gatekeeping.
Confirmed international and Baltic galleries
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 and Kristina Kite (Los Angeles); The Green Gallery (Milwaukee); 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); 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 Galerija Vartai (Vilnius).
The fair’s General Sponsor, Citadele, supports the event for the second year. Kristaps Urpens, Head of Citadele Private Banking: “At Citadele, we believe that development is driven by the courage to think and act differently. That is why we are pleased to stand alongside Riga Contemporary for the second year - an event that strengthens Latvia’s place on the international contemporary art map. Just as contemporary art challenges established notions and seeks new forms of expression, we in the financial sector continuously seek innovative solutions that help people and businesses develop in today’s changing world.”
Supported by SORAINEN, the Public Programme takes place at Hanzas perons and addresses the changing conditions of the contemporary art field. Free and open to all, this year's programme features museum directors, market specialists, 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), and Juliana Halpert (Editor, e-flux Education, Los Angeles), along with artists Flo Kasearu (Tallinn), Andris Eglītis (Riga), Robertas Narkus (Vilnius), Tobias Kaspar (Zurich), and MAREUNROL'S (Riga). The discussions cover the future of regional art fairs, private patronage, corporate collecting, digital ownership, and the intersection of fashion, contemporary art, and culture.
In addition to the gallery programme, “Riga Contemporary” offers a range of other public activities. Art tours are available to visitors from July 3 to 5, and families with children can take part in creative workshops and activities organised in cooperation with the fair's partners, located in the BTA Children's Zone and the Roboskola workshop. For this edition, artist Krišs Salmanis has created a new work, "Milda" (2026), produced with the support of Radio SWH.
“Riga Contemporary” 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