The Other Art Fair returns to Barker Hangar on Thursday for its 16th Los Angeles edition, gathering 160 independent artists for a four-day event that trades the traditional gallery model for direct contact between artists and collectors.
Presented by Saatchi Art, the fair runs Sept. 24-27 at Barker Hangar, 3021 Airport Ave. Of this edition's exhibitors, 63% identify as women and 46% are based in Los Angeles, representing 14 countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Finland, Germany, Greece, India, Mexico, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The fair's defining feature is what it leaves out. No galleries participate; artists sell their work face to face with buyers, part of a mission organizers say is meant to make the contemporary art world more accessible.
"The Other Art Fair gives back to its artists like no other," said Nicole Garton, global fair director. "Over the past twelve months, we delivered over nine events across the US and UK and paid artists more than $7 million. In Los Angeles this past February, art sales grew over 40% year over year, and we are excited for another successful edition."
Organizers point to the fair as a launching pad for emerging talent. "This fair was the starting point for now well-known names like Jackie Amezquita, Kenny Nguyen, and Tawny Chatmon, and that's exactly what we set out to do: give artists a platform to share their work and for collectors and curators to discover and nurture them," said Briana Salatino, senior fair manager.
The work on view spans a wide range. Isabel Araneda paints sun-drenched desert and mid-century architectural scenes with still-water reflections; Ella Freire reworks vintage airline ephemera into graphic prints under official licenses from Pan Am, TWA and Braniff International; Laura Porcelli produces large-scale floral abstraction; and Xan Padron turns everyday movement through public space into photographic pattern.
New this year is a set of interactive installations. At The Other Open: Artist-Designed Mini Golf, visitors can play three one-of-a-kind holes designed by three female artists. Suze Riley's WeHo Neon Diver, inspired by the neon diver at West Hollywood Park, sends the ball through the diver's body onto a swimming-pool pitch dotted with beach-ball obstacles. Araneda's Reflections of Palm Springs turns her pool paintings into a playable mid-century landscape, and Heather Bellino's The Blooming Vortex funnels play around a sculptural flower centerpiece.
Nearby, artists Adam Rose and Richard Hoffman present TP Catalog — On Loan from The British Museum, a hand-painted restroom installation lined with gold-framed toilet-paper transfers depicting artifacts that may themselves have been acquired by the British Museum. Each image is paired with text from the objects' own museum database entries, and a continuous video of the British Museum heist plays through viewing holes cut into the stall walls.
Friday brings a timely tribute. California has declared Sept. 25 "Dolly Parton Day," and the fair is marking it with "Self Made Icon: A Life in Rhinestones," a collection of artist tributes priced under $500. A DJ set from 7 to 10 p.m. will honor the singer, the bar will pour a "Dolly Partini" adapted from a recipe in her 2024 cookbook, and pink is the requested dress code.
The fair also introduces the Los Angeles recipient of its Fall 2026 New Futures award, Lisa Tse, a contemporary artist who spent more than a decade as a graphic designer before turning to fine art. The program, formalized in 2021, offers emerging local artists mentoring and free exhibition space.
Rounding out the experience are four food trucks, a coffee bar built into a vintage BMW, a furnished lounge that displays art in a living-room setting, and Gina Su's oversized ceramic fortune cookie, where guests can leave a written fortune and take one left by a stranger.
Doors open Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m., with the first 500 entrants receiving a free drink token. Friday hours are 5 to 10 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets are available at theotherartfair.com/la.
Since its 2011 debut, The Other Art Fair has given nearly 10,000 artists a platform to sell more than 100,000 works, generating over $50 million in sales. It now hosts 11 fairs a year across the United States and the United Kingdom.
Tickets and more information are available at theotherartfair.com/la, with tickets sold at theotherartfair.com/la/tickets.