ReA! Art Fair

Since the fair’s inception in 2020, our DNA has been to support and promote independent and experimental projects, the first 4 Editions of ReA! Art Fair took place in Milan, Italy, and each of them featured 100 independent artists. As a grassroot group of art professionals, we build the organization and the fair in an effort to fill the institutional gap – which stemmed from the fact that the Milanese art scene at the time did not have any large scale fairs or shows that focused exclusively on emerging artists, students and recent graduates of art schools.

The next step for us is moving on to supporting all of the up-and-coming intermediaries in the space: galleries, artist-run spaces, independent projects, art book editors and private collections, all the organizations that constitute the emerging art world network. The gallery-focused fair is scheduled to take place in May 2024 in Lugano, Switzerland.

The galleries that we choose as exhibitors are always presenting a cutting-edge innovative and experimental program. We are looking for spaces and organizations that push the boundaries and consider art instrumental to social, political, and environmental conversation. Just like the artist-focused edition of the fair, the galleries edition is mainly oriented towards up-and-coming spaces, that carry new and emerging talents and work with experimental new media – and are in need of a boost to set foot on the international art scene.

Prices at ReA! Fairs range from lower hundreds up to 20.000 euro/CHF in some rare cases. Our collector demographic is that of millennials and Gen Z, who are taking their first steps as art partons, and we guide them along every step of this journey. Another important buyer profile for our fairs, is an established art collector, often times representing private museums or foundations, who recognizes the importance of supporting and uplifting new talents and nurturing up-and-coming spaces by buying into their program, we see this buyer base as the modern mecenates and their presence is extremely validating. Third but not least is the corporate collections, that often buy artwork for their office spaces as part of CSR programs, which we always welcome and happily put in contact with our exhibitors.

Our attendees are a very varied crowd: ranging from the more institutionalized public like art professionals, journalists, social media influencers, and established and emerging art collectors – always in search of new gems to add to their rosters, all the way to students looking for exciting new projects and families searching to acquire artwork for their homes.

ReA! Art Fair’s future digital strategy will leverage a range of innovative tools and technologies to enhance the fair experience. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) will be utilized to create immersive virtual exhibition spaces, allowing attendees to explore and interact with artwork remotely. By combining these digital tools with online sales platforms, interactive artist talks, and social media campaigns, we will strive to create a dynamic and inclusive virtual environment, that fully embodies the “phygital” experience.

Liste Basel is a great example of an art fair that has been an important platform in supporting and nurturing idependent spaces, artist-run galleries and experimental projects, bringing new talents and emerging voices to the Art Basel landscape in Switzerland. Another fair I believe has a fantastic concept is the New York Future Fair, that strives to promote alternative approaches to the fair business model, and at the same time features a more curated approach.