Supermarket Art Fair
The 2026 Supermarket Art Fair will be held in Stockholm from the 23rd through 26th of April.
This started in 2006, as a reaction to a commercial art fair in Sweden. Andreas Ribbung, Creative Director of Supermarket, told the Guide that a group of artist-run initiatives decided to make their own version - with a very different set of values. But the name, 'Supermarket,' has been a bit of a double-edged sword, says Andreas.
''It was originally meant as a playful take on the art fair format - borrowing the language of commerce while doing something quite different with it.''
But it's often been misinterpreted. Some assume it's a commercial fair focused on sales, while others think the event is literally connected to supermarkets.
Andreas concedes that ''we do, in fact, receive a surprising number of emails from companies offering things like slippery floor treatments.''
That said, themes around cooking, food, and cultivation have cropped up. Since the fair places a strong emphasis on meeting and exchange, a number of projects have involved sharing food with the audience. In one instance, Silverado from Poland presented cakes meant to resemble Mondrian paintings.
In fact, this year's theme, The Great Gala, has inspired Spain's Fosforita Madrid to create El Banquete, an installation and performance built around an opulent banquet table.
Although there have been attempts at other editions [in cities like Berlin, Toronto, and Montreal], this independent art fair has always taken place in Stockholm. At the same time, notes Andreas, the model has travelled, inspiring similar events elsewhere, in countries such as Finland, Denmark, Russia, Greece, and America.
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