The Discovery Art Fairs
Save the Date | April 4th – 6th, 2025 | Opening April 3rd, 2025
Discovery Art Fair Cologne
Save the Date | November 7th – 9th, 2025 | Opening November 6th, 2025
Discovery Art Fair Frankfurt
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Taking place annually, our art fairs in Cologne and Frankfurt have confirmed their position as the Discovery Art Fairs for contemporary art.
With the objective to present young, fresh art, our fairs aim to excite untapped target groups for contemporary art by transcending the elitist art fairs and their speculative, often exclusive, pricing policies. We encourage everybody to buy and appreciate art. With a distinct focus on contemporary art production, the Discovery Art Fairs provide a direct insight into new trends and positions of the art world, frequently introducing fresh faces to the visitors.
With an open, spontaneous atmosphere, the fairs place a special value on the multilateral discussion and exchange happening between visitors, artists, and gallerists. As a result, the Discovery Art Fairs provide a diversified and unique art experience to the visitors, outside of the conventional museum and gallery scene.
Every year, around 120 international exhibitors take part in each fair, showcasing their program to more than 12,000 art lovers and collectors. Their road of art discovery is marked by a special inclusive feature, as artists, galleries and project spaces exhibit next to each other, requiring an equal amount of attention. In such a welcoming, multiform environment, each visitor is inspired to embark on a quest and actually discover a new favorite piece of art at a moderate price.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE EVENTS IN
Spotlight Positions for Young Emerging Artists – Curated for You
The main goal of the Discovery Art Fairs is to present art as affordable, lively and exciting. Exhibiting the budget friendly and subtly extravagant artworks, the fairs give visitors a chance to explore, meet artists, gallery owners, and other art enthusiasts and go on a journey of discovery. Over the years the fairs evolved, grew and developed, but the main concept has never changed – our mission is to exhibit the latest pieces of contemporary painting, graphic art, illustration, sculpture, new and classical photography, large-scale artworks and small pocket-size editions, and to make art affordable again. The Discovery Art Fairs team is proud to have experienced collectors on board, and to welcome art students from any creative field, first-time visitors, critics, amateurs, and cultural thrill seekers.
Art Fair to Answer Every Art Lover’s Need
The Discovery Fair consists out of three main curated segments dedicated to Contemporary Fine Art, Photography, and Urban Art. Excluded from the community for a long time, in the last years, photography got the appreciation that it deserves. As well as Photography, Urban Art is ready to conquer galleries and art fairs worldwide. The Urban Art Section plays an important role in promoting an open and friendly philosophy of art, where elitism and rigidity do not exist, and where talent mustn’t be disputed based on its origin. Since the exciting graffiti era of the 70’s, street art has been defined and redefined repeatedly, still without a viable solution. Meanwhile, the style evolved continuously, from the tagging to lettering, all the way to large-scale murals, political stencils and spray painting. Inherently tied to the cities, street art is at the foundation of the Urban Art movement, a movement that propagates the ultimate freedom of expression, overcoming the society’s definitions of art and creativity.
By integrating current developments promptly and showing it to a wide public, the fairs document the aspiration to give an up-to-the-minute highlight of the contemporary art.
Photography in Focus
Introduced in 2013 with the 10th edition of the BERLINER LISTE, the Photography Section has proven to be one of the most dynamic and most popular segments of the Discovery Art Fairs. It represented one of the cornerstones of the fair’s evolution, clearing the path for the Urban Art Section to be introduced in 2016.
Curated by an acclaimed author and photographer, Stefan Maria Rother, the Photography Section brings the most recent achievements in photography to the exhibition, presented both within the individual artists’ booths and gallery stands. Inspired by Berlin, Frankfurt and Cologne, three cities brimming with art, design, fashion and artistic experiments, the section will gather round artists and galleries that best represent the national and international practices in the medium. Carefully selected, the pieces on show will give the observers a special insight into different modes of photography, hopefully inspiring them to discover a piece that suits their collection the best.
Urban Art · Bringing the Message from the Streets
Born in the underground, street art grew up on the subway trains, on factory walls, across stairways, bridges, finally climbing the gallery walls. Perhaps the most democratic of all art movements, street art is unique in the manner in which it communicates with the viewer, whether they may be an ordinary man, a rebel, an explorer or an experienced art collector. Urban Art Section brings together a mix of emerging and experienced artists, groups of connoisseurs and novices and once again demonstrate the importance of this often neglected contemporary art movement. Shining the light onto many different techniques and approaches, curator of the section, director of the OPEN WALLS Gallery, Guillaume Trotin will make a representative selection of the style for the Discover Art Fair rooms. Including both legends of the street scene and new names from the block, the message of the street will echo throughout the fair, encouraging the visitors to add a stencil, collage, drawing, silkscreen or a photograph to their collection. We are aiming to reflect the styles and perspectives each of our locations add to the medium of urban arts. Berlin’s gritty creativity, Cologne’s uniquely joyful approach to life in general and Frankfurt’s contention of old economic truths that coalesce into a tapestry of exciting art to explore.
Make Yourself Visible · Partner up with Sponsors
The Discovery Art Fairs serve as catalysts in helping upcoming galleries, project spaces and creators enter the field and accelerate their international careers. The Discovery Art Fair team prepares and presents special programs designed for newcomers to the art scene and those who need help and a creative push in form of workshops and consulting. Our professional crew comes to aid sharing lessons and experiences in self-promotion, planning, and marketing. Only in Berlin, there are more than 7000 prominent active artists and a countless number of those who strive to succeed. We are here to provide support and opportunity to those artists, opening new ways of communication and helping them expand their personal networks. Happy to be a stepping stone on their path of development, the Discovery Art Fairs invite all the interested creatives to join our seminar program, specially curated for each fair edition.
Media
Of course we are not doing everything by ourselves. Thanks to our network of industry leading partners and media outlets we are able to put together exactly the type of art fair and trade show we want to visit ourselves.
