From 2 to 5 July the international contemporary art fair Riga Contemporary 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 will bring together leading galleries, artists, collectors and industry professionals from around the world. This year it will feature over 40 galleries from 15 countries, including from cities including Tokyo, New York, London, Milan, Zurich, Helsinki, as well as from 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. For its second year, the fair returns 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 between galleries, artists, collectors and cultural professionals. With deliberately affordable 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 this 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 be hosting and bringing together talented artists and leading galleries from the United States and distant Japan, as well as from the nearby Nordic countries and our Baltic neighbours. These kinds of ambitious international events vividly affirm our capital’s growing role on the global cultural map and provide invaluable inspiration to the local creative community, fostering cross-border dialogue and opening up Riga to new, bold ideas,” said Viesturs Kleinbergs, the mayor of Riga.
Galleries from Tokyo to New York, and Tbilisi to Bratislava
Unlike most international art fairs, which operate on a model of exclusivity, Riga Contemporary is structured around exchange. Participation fees are kept affordable 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); and Kogo Gallery (Tartu); Meno Parkas (Kaunas); and The Rooster Gallery and Galerija Vartai (Vilnius).
The fair’s general sponsor, Citadele, is supporting the event for the second year running. Kristaps Urpens, head of Citadele Private Banking comments: “At Citadele, we believe that development is driven by the courage to think and act differently. That is why we are pleased to be supporting Riga Contemporary for a second year – an event that strengthens Latvia’s place on the international map of contemporary art. 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 in the field of contemporary art. 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, The 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), 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 will 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 will be available to visitors from 3 to 5 July, 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 art 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