2026 Highlights

Born To, curated by Jo McLaughlin and supported by PensionBee as part of its Born to Retire campaign, showcased five artists selected from an open call for artists aged 50 and over, which received more than 500 entries. Each artist came to their creative practice later in life, whether after raising a family, following a career in another field, or simply when time allowed, offering a timely reminder that being an emerging artist doesn't have to mean fresh out of art school.

Outside In is a national charity that supports artists who encounter significant barriers to the art world due to health, disability, social circumstance, or isolation. At British Art Fair, Outside In celebrated their 20th anniversary by showcasing four artists whose practice has been supported in a variety of ways during the charity’s two decades of work. Funds from art sales and ticket donations will enable new programmes of creative workshops and training opportunities and allow more artists to benefit from bursaries.

Spotlight: Contemporary is a project for cutting edge galleries and dealers to exhibit a set of works by one star of the contemporary art world, and is a continuation of British Art Fair's founding principle to champion British art and artists. Spotlight: Contemporary underscored the strength, breadth, and critical significance of contemporary artistic practice in Britain today.

Spotlight: Digitalism returned to showcase artists pushing the boundaries of contemporary art through technology. This section featured cutting-edge works across AI, AR, VR, digital sculpture, moving image, photography and painting. Visitors experienced an immersive, future-facing experience that reflects the evolving language of art in the digital age.

On Friday night, the fair remained open until 9pm. A special event, ‘Meet the artists’, provided visitors with the opportunity to meet the artists in Spotlight: Contemporary and discuss their work in an informal way. Drinks were served by Lighthouse Social and Whitebox Cocktails.

British Art Fair dedicated a special presentation of work by David Hockney to celebrate his monumental career and impact on British Art. The presentation was curated by Eleanor Ekserdjian.

The £5,000 and under guide offered collectors the opportunity to discover both new and established artists and find meaningful works priced at or under £5,000 to start or build a collection.