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And that’s it for Art Basel Paris 2026, two days earlier than planned due to precautionary measures in response to the protests and unrest across the city.

But inside the Grand Palais, it was still very much business as usual in the final hour. Collectors browsing, people drinking champagne, and the atmosphere felt largely unchanged, despite what’s happening beyond the fair’s perimeter.

Hauser & Wirth removed much of its booth this morning, while other galleries are reportedly making plans to remove some of their higher-value works tonight. There were also unconfirmed reports/rumours circulating about the possibility of a protest near Art Basel.

What does it mean for the art world when the business inside carries on, almost entirely removed from the realities outside?

#ArtBaselParis #ArtBasel2026

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Whilst Art Basel is cancelled, this immersive fair remains open over the weekend.

This year, OFFSCREEN takes place inside the beautiful Chapelle Saint-Louis de la Salpêtrière, creating an experience that feels closer to a biennale than a traditional fair. Less crowds, more time to think - a more relaxing experience when compared to the likes of Frieze and Basel.

Founded in 2022 by Julien Frydman, OFFSCREEN is technically an art fair, but prefers to be described as a ‘salon’, bringing together experimental photography, film and installation in immersive, architecturally interesting spaces.

London-based galleries such as @cobgallery and @copperfield_london are exhibiting this year, as well as a packed international lineup.

One to add to your Paris art week itinerary if you have time ❤️

@offscreen_paris

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Whilst staying in Paris I chose the Le Pigalle hotel, an extremely central location with great food, rates and above all else - a 4pm breakfast cutoff time (for those of us who mingle at beyond 6pm, it’s a godsend). I highly recommend this place to anyone who visits Paris! @lepigalleparis

#OffscreenParis #ArtBaselParis

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Art Basel Paris has been cancelled midway through the event due to ongoing protests across Paris.

However, for the first-time galleries showing in the emergence section, and smaller galleries in general whose livelihoods depend on this - what will Basel do to address potential refunds? Whilst of course some galleries can take the hit better than others, we mustn’t forget that many people will be affected seriously by this.

In unplanned situations such as this, generally refunds across fairs do not take place.

There are also 12 more fairs occurring in the city. No one knows what’s going to happen, whether some will follow suit.

Let’s see how it unfolds!

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Did you see this iconic VMA’s performance? Well the collaborative duo behind the video are exhibiting at Art Basel Paris 2026, under the pseudonym @gener8tionfamily.

Showing a dual screen of Lean’s video for the first time, the performance also includes additional projects and videos that have been produced. Really recommend seeing this section when you can, especially if you’re a fan of Yung Lean.

A brill moment for all involved. ❤️

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Whilst staying in Paris I chose the Le Pigalle hotel, an extremely central location with great food, rates and above all else - a 4pm breakfast cutoff time (for those of us who mingle at beyond 6pm, it’s a godsend). I highly recommend this place to anyone who visits Paris! @lepigalleparis

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Comparing Frieze London to Art Basel Paris 2026: there are so many amazing works from renowned artists, however it feels like less risks have been taken when it comes to presentation. Galleries seems to be selling well however coming from London, it feels a little less groundbreaking and more secure - which isn’t necessarily a bad thing given how the art market is going at the minute.

If you visit - please let me know how you’re finding it!

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Whilst staying in Paris I chose the Le Pigalle hotel, an extremely central location with great food, rates and above all else - a 4pm breakfast cutoff time (for those of us who mingle at beyond 6pm, it’s a godsend). I highly recommend this place to anyone who visits Paris! @lepigalleparis

#artbasel #artbaselparis #paris #art

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Art Basel Paris is taking place behind anti-ram barriers. But what does that say about the relationship between art, wealth and protest?

Following a weekend of unrest in Paris, Art Basel has installed vehicle barriers around the Grand Palais, alongside additional security personnel patrolling the perimeter around the clock. Organisers say the measures are intended to protect the site and surrounding pedestrian areas.

But the timing has raised a wider question. Art Basel is one of the most influential events in the international art market, bringing together leading galleries, collectors and some of the biggest names in contemporary art. It is also an environment where works can sell for millions, at a time when many people in France are protesting over the cost of living and pressure on public services.

Art has long been a space for political expression, dissent and challenging the status quo. So where does the balance lie between protecting a major cultural event and remaining open to the society around it?

Are these necessary precautions in an uncertain moment, or do they reinforce the perception of an art world increasingly insulated from the realities experienced by the public?

I’m interested to hear what you think!

#paris #artbaselparis #artbasel

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One of my favourite places to experience art in Paris: the Bourse de Commerce.

Ahead of Art Basel Paris, the museum has unveiled a new installation by Barbara Kruger, transforming the vast central rotunda into an immersive work that surrounds visitors with her instantly recognisable text and imagery.

The building itself has lived many lives, from a 16th-century grain market to the commodities exchange. Today, it houses the Pinault Collection, the private collection of François Pinault, whose business interests include Gucci and Saint Laurent. It’s one of the most significant private art collections in the world, with works presented across the Bourse de Commerce in Paris and Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana in Venice.

What I love about this museum is how frequently the experience changes. The central space has hosted everything from mirrors and floating clouds to water installations, while the surrounding galleries offer an opportunity to discover different works from the collection as it rotates.

It’s a very different way of experiencing a collection compared with institutions such as Tate Modern or MoMA, where permanent collections and long-running displays often play a larger role. Here, the building itself becomes part of the exhibition, and there’s always a reason to return.

If you’re visiting Paris for Art Basel, make time to look beyond the central installation and explore the smaller galleries too. Kruger’s new work is well worth seeing in person.

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Whilst staying in Paris I chose the Le Pigalle hotel, an extremely central location with great food, rates and above all else - a 4pm breakfast cutoff time (for those of us who mingle at beyond 6pm, it’s a godsend). I highly recommend this place to anyone who visits Paris! @lepigalleparis

@boursedecommerce @barbarakruger45 #artbasel #paris

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How can a group exhibition bring 18 distinct artistic perspectives into conversation?

As conversations around Frieze Week continue, INKU Sphere revisits Pending Response, presented in collaboration with Somers Gallery this August.

Across three chapters, Received, Pending and Response?, the exhibition brought together painting, sculpture, moving image and mixed media. The works approached waiting through bodily dependence, cultural memory and migration, and the shifting boundaries between nature and technology. Together, they raised questions about who can afford to pause, who must remain ready, and whose experiences still await recognition.

Our curatorial approach gave each practice room to retain its specificity. Connections emerged through materials, differences in scale and the placement of works, allowing shared concerns and contrasting perspectives to unfold across the gallery.

The exhibition has closed, but our work with its artists continues. We welcome conversations with galleries, curators and collectors interested in their practices and future collaborations.

Please contact INKU for the exhibition catalogue, artist portfolios and acquisition enquiries.

Pending Response: Still, It Alters the Room
Exhibition film | 21 to 28 August 2026
Curated and produced by INKU Sphere in collaboration with Somers Gallery
@somersgallery

#INKUSphere #PendingResponse #FriezeWeek #LondonArt #contemporaryart

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Night During the Day.

At Frieze London 2026, we caught up with Katriona Hannah from @voloshyngallery , the Kyiv and Miami-based gallery making its Frieze London debut with a presentation of Ukrainian artist Nikita Kadan.

At the centre of the presentation is Night During the Day, a work depicting a techno rave in Kyiv at 1pm. With martial law restricting nightlife, parties have moved into daylight hours.

Look closer and three prosthetic legs emerge in the lower half of the work. They point to the sacrifices being made on the front lines, and the uneasy relationship between everyday life and the ongoing war.

Kadan’s Repeating Speech series has an equally remarkable history. He began the works while sheltering inside Voloshyn’s Kyiv gallery, which had been converted into a bomb shelter during the first months of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

The series asks a question that extends well beyond Ukraine: when political slogans are repeated without action, do they become more powerful, or begin to lose their meaning?
@artvoxldn

→ @voloshyn_gallery

@artplugged
@greatartexplained

🎥 @artvoxldn

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And that’s it for another year of Frieze - but what did visitors and exhibitors have to say about this years fair?

Key accolades included Theo Triantafyllidis winning the Frieze London Artist Award, while Ella Fleck secured the Camden Art Centre Emerging Artist Award.

As the art world heats up for Paris next week - what were your thoughts on London’s art week?

@friezeofficial @artplugged

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Is this one of the world’s most expensive climbing frames?

Whilst many focused on Frieze Artist Award Theo Triantafyllidis’s ‘Feral Universe’ for its climbable structure, some missed the opportunity to climb on a significant Paolozzi sculpture at Frieze Masters.

Presented by Bowman Sculpture, Sir Eduardo Paolozzi designed several abstract public sculptures that intentionally doubled as children’s playground climbing equipment. Rather than traditional commercial plastic frames, these are massive, interactive art pieces created from welded industrial aluminum and cast parts, blurring the boundary between fine art and functional play.

So next time you think Frieze London is where the fun is - think again, make sure to stop by Master’s in 2027.

Would you get one if money didn’t matter?

@friezeofficial @bowmansculpture

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This booth at Frieze London has been attracting a lot of attention - not for elaborate paintings or striking sculptures however, but rather a smaller, more unfamiliar item in an art fair: walnut shells.

Many people have been stopped by the storefront appearance of Ewa Poniatowska’s installation presented by @mygalerina. The doors state ‘Western Quality’ as visitors enter a room with a handful of gold Walnut Shells, stools/plinths and an array of objects on the desk. This installation and performance changes every day at the fair - with the rotating walnut shells representing migration, having been used in 1950s Poland to smuggle valuable objects into the black markets. It feels anti-establishment, somewhat of a risk - and it seems to be paying off.

This is both the artist and galleries first appearance at Frieze London.

@mygalerina @friezeofficial

#friezelondon #frieze #london #artfair #art

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