Collect, the leading international art fair dedicated to contemporary, museum-quality craft and design, returns to Somerset House for its 22nd edition from 27 February to 1 March 2026, with preview days on 25 and 26 February. Presented by Crafts Council, the 2026 fair will bring together 40 specialist galleries and arts organisations from around the world, including 14 new exhibitors. Marking the first edition under the direction of new Fair Director TF Chan, Collect 2026 will spotlight an expanded presence of collectible design and furniture alongside an ambitious and diverse programme of contemporary craft.
Positioned at the forefront of the contemporary craft movement, the fair showcases an expertly curated line- up of galleries featuring works by over 300 living artists. The exhibitors hail from countries including Canada, China, France, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, and the UK.
There will be a wide range of disciplines and materials at Collect, spanning ceramics, glass, lacquer, furniture, jewellery, metalwork, wood, textiles and paper, pushing the boundaries of traditional craft techniques. On display will also be works embracing more unusual materials such as oak leaves, denim, discarded shopping bags, and moss; as well as those from artists incorporating digital technology in their practice. Emerging names will be positioned alongside established masters, showing the importance of sustaining and evolving traditions and heritage across generations.
The majority of works have been created within the last five years, with many specially commissioned for the fair; ensuring collectors, interior designers, architects, art advisors, global arts institutions, and art and craft enthusiasts can discover, acquire and commission the very best in contemporary craft.
Collect has always been the place to encounter ambitious contemporary craft, and to see how galleries champion artists who bring together exceptional skill and imagination. While we deepen this commitment, we are enhancing the fair’s role as a platform for collectible design, where unique and limited-edition furniture is presented with the same care as museum-quality craft. Our 2026 exhibitors reveal how seamlessly these worlds come together, and how craft and design are integral to wider conversations about material culture and contemporary life.”
TF Chan, Fair Director of Collect
Collect continues to showcase how dynamic, storied and skilful the craft market is today. It’s an opportunity to connect with and purchase works from galleries and makers from across the globe, whilst celebrating the extraordinary craft talent that the UK produces. It’s a generous, celebratory moment in the craft calendar; a first appearance at the fair can provide a remarkable springboard to someone’s career, and forge connections with collectors and purchasers that endure for decades.”
Natalie Melton, Crafts Council’s Executive Director
Highlights for Collect 2026
Contemporary Lacquer
One medium set to feature prominently at Collect 2026 is contemporary lacquer, with works from a number of first-time exhibitors pushing the boundaries of this centuries-old art form. This reflects a broader interest in the medium, with the V&A South Kensington opening Urushi Now: Contemporary Japanese Lacquer in the Toshiba Gallery of Japanese Art on 30 April 2026. Masami Yamada, Curator of Japanese Art in the V&A’s Asia Department, will be moderating a talk on lacquer as part of Collect’s public programme.
Mono Art (Tokyo) will present work by Yoshito Yamashita – one of only ten artists designated as a Living National Treasure in the field of Japanese lacquer art – alongside those by his son, Kojin Yamashita. They both advance the regional Kagawa lacquer tradition, combining meticulous traditional craftmanship with bold new approaches, expanding the use of colour and technique in a profound and innovative way.
WAJOY (Kanazawa) will showcase the versatility of urushi as a contemporary material, revealing it as a living, transformative medium: fragile yet enduring, tactile yet conceptual. The stand will include pieces by Yuki Nakamura and Ken Noguchi.
In a collaborative presentation showing the rich potential of cross-cultural exchange, HIROKI / White Conduit Projects (London) will show works co-created by UK-based artists Jane Bustin and Rosa Nguyen with Japanese lacquer master HIROKI. The resulting works will embody both cultural heritage – using kintsugi and toutaishikki techniques – and contemporary resonances.
The Gallery by SOIL (Hong Kong) will present works by artists from Japan and China – Xingmei Liang, Gaoxian Ma, Yoshihiko Murata, and Bangliang Yao – including three-dimensional sculptureswhich display both the innovative spirit and cultural richness of lacquer, with intricate works that express personal narratives and philosophical ideas.
A Variety of Disciplines
Leading specialist galleries will showcase works by a diverse range of artists, offering an overview of the finest contemporary craft across a variety of disciplines.
Gallery FUMI (London) will show monumental ceramic vessels from the Living Being series by Ghanaian artist Kobina Adusah, inspired by traditional African craft and grounded in the belief that the earth we walk on carries ancestral weight. The presentation coincides with a wider solo show by Adusah at FUMI’s Mayfair gallery.
Sitting at the heart of British glass, Peter Layton London Glassblowing (London) will celebrate its 50th anniversary, presenting works by James Maskrey, Heike Brachlow and Colin Reid. Visitors will discover exceptional craftsmanship that demonstrates why glass remains one of the most compelling and collectible mediums in contemporary art today.
Delicate embroideries based on Taiwanese food by Deng Wen Jen will be exhibited at Bluerider ART (London, Los Angeles, Shanghai and Taipei), alongside works by video-sculpture artist, Marck.
BR Gallery (Beijing) will return with a selection of works by Chinese and Japanese jewellery artists, including new Chinese filigree works by Siqui Zhang and fine silver jewellery by Japanese artist Aya Iwata.
Siat Gallery (Seoul) bring together works from Korean artists who elevate everyday materials into refined, collectible objects. These include wearable pieces by Hoyeon Chung, such as a brooch in organza and polyester mesh; JungHoo Kim, with works in lacquered mulberry paper; and Sooyeon Kim, who creates both wall pieces and brooches using photo paper.
Design Presentations
A leading gallery in collectible design and contemporary art, Mia Karlova Galerie (Amsterdam) will present a selection of furniture, lighting and ceramics. Striking chairs and lights by Vadim Kibardin crafted from recycled paper and cardboard will be shown alongside Valeria Isyak’s wall piece Drop of Water, created with hand-shaped and coloured porcelain petals.
Poland’s Creative Industries Institute (Warsaw), in partnership with the Polish Cultural Institute and On&On Designs, will highlight the material innovation and imaginative spirit of contemporary Polish creatives. Curated by Corinne Julius and designed by Miśka Miller-Lovegrove, the presentation will include objects by Formsophy, inspired by natural forms, balancing raw materiality with subtle, refined details; and intentionally deformed ceramic sculptures by Monika Patuszyńska, exploring the tension between control and chance.
Design-focused Max Radford Gallery (London) will present furniture by artists working with discarded materials. These will include Tessa Silva’s stool which incorporates deadstock cotton; Lewis Kemmenoe, whose patchworked furniture often incorporates offcuts of exotic timbers; and Carsten in der Elst who works with industrial processes and their by-products.
House of Bandits (London), a gallery showcasing the work of current artists and alumni of Sarabande Foundation’s studio residency programme, will display innovative pieces including Darcey Fleming’s colourful chairs which combine baling twine with discarded furniture.
Thematic Displays
Jennifer Lauren Gallery’s (Manchester) presentation will centre on the theme of living beings, both human and animal. This will include Yoshihiro Watanabe’s Japanese oak leaves folded into smallanimals using origami-style techniques. The gallery champions disabled artists with the intention of making the art world more accessible and inclusive.
Emerging from the quiet introspection of winter, Cavaliero Finn’s (London) stand, ‘Verdant Pulse,’ will be rooted in ideas of natural transformation and sensory awakening. Works will include Frances Priest’s vibrant Byzantine series, and Alan Meredith’s ebonised oak vessel.
FIVE (London), a collective of metal artists, will consider the theme of ‘Scale’, highlighting how it transforms both the object and the viewer’s experience. To celebrate the collective’s fifth anniversary, the presentation will include a display of 10 small works by all artists involved in FIVE to date, creating a visual archive of its evolving identity and ambition.
Thrown (St Austell) will unite 12 distinctive ceramic artists in a presentation titled ‘Map-making’, with work that embodies a record of place and time; from Nina Gerada’s architectural sculptures inspired by the carved landscape of her home in Malta, to Bisila Noha’s journey of inspiration and discovery as an artist.
Caroline Fisher Projects (Norfolk) will platform ceramics, with a focus on animals, plants and soil around the theme of ‘The Garden Comes Inside.’ The display will be a precursor to a forthcoming exhibition at Caroline Fisher Projects’ new gallery at Bolwick Hall.
Alveston Gallery Notting Hill (London) will curate a presentation of ceramics and wall art in linewith the themes of joy, fun and humour. Artists will include Hylton Nel, Evelyn Albrow and Vicky Lindo.
Canadian Craft Artists’, embracing craft as a vital language that communicates beyond words. The Craft Alliance Atlantic Association (Halifax) will present ‘The Power of Objects: Voices of Atlantic presentation will feature works using organic material by Ralph Simpson and works by Darrell DesRoches using wood, sand, copper, jute and paint.
COLLECT OPEN
Alongside the gallery presentations, Collect Open will bring together the work of 11 artists selected for the annual showcase of bold, craft-led installations by artists and collectives. Collect Open champions work that tells stories challenging material, social, political or personal perceptions, and cements Collect’s broader commitment to platforming artists who push the boundaries of traditional craft techniques, as seen this year in works which span from contemporary embroidery to silversmithing, basket work to marquetry.
Announced in November 2025, the full list of participating artists can be found here. Collect Open is supported by Spinocchia Freund.
COLLECT TALKS
Working with international experts including curators, collectors and gallerists, Collect 2026 will present a public talks programme at Somerset House, providing compelling discussions and presentations which will celebrate and champion contemporary craft and design. The programme will include panel discussions exploring contemporary lacquer, collectible design and craft in architectural contexts, reflecting key themes of the 2026 fair. Full details will be announced in mid-January.
LOEWE FOUNDATION will return as Fair Partner for a ninth year. The alignment between the LOEWE FOUNDATION and Collect is strong, as evidenced year-on-year by the growing numbers of LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize alumni who are presented at Collect. The two works awarded Special Mentions at the 2025 iteration of the prize will be displayed in the UK for the first time at Collect 2026. Both metal works, Nifemi Marcus-Bello’s TM Bench with Bowl (2023) is made from reclaimed aluminium from the car industry and Studio Sumakshi Singh’s Monument (2024) uses threaded copper zari. LOEWE FOUNDATION will once again present its anticipated talk as part of the Collect Talks Programme.
Collect is at Somerset House, Strand, London, WC2R 1LA from 27th February to 1st March 2026. Find more information and buy tickets here.
