In 2025, several established art fairs were cancelled or postponed, including the Art Dealers Association of America's Art Show in Manhattan, Taipei Dangdai, Photofairs Hong Kong, and the India Art Fair's Mumbai expo. Amid these retrenchments, a wave of smaller, alternative art fairs emerged in cities like New York, Paris, and the Berkshires, organized by gallerists and curators seeking new formulas focused on coalition, affordability, and intimacy. Examples include Esther in Manhattan (co-founded by Margot Samel and Olga Temnikova), the Arrival Art Fair in North Adams (co-founded by Yng-Ru Chen, Crystalle Lacouture, and Sarah Galender Meyer), 7 rue Froissart in Paris (organized by Sara Maria Salamone and Brigitte Mulholland), and Post-Fair in Santa Monica (founded by Chris Sharp).
These new fairs matter because they signal a potential shift in the art fair model away from massive, expensive spectacles toward more nimble, community-driven events that prioritize slower engagement and lower costs for dealers and visitors. By altering the geography and schedule of the fair circuit—such as Esther's location in an Estonian clubhouse or Arrival's biennial schedule in the Berkshires—these initiatives challenge the dominant transactional rhythm of traditional fairs. Their success could reshape how galleries, especially smaller ones, connect with collectors and curators in a challenging market, offering a more sustainable alternative to the exhausting annual cycle of major art fairs.