As the art world prepares for Art Basel’s Swiss flagship fair later this month, a new fair launching this week in Philadelphia is betting that a smaller, more locally rooted approach can offer an alternative to the increasingly expensive and competitive international fair circuit. Elsewhere will debut at the Yowie Hotel (4-6 June), bringing together 26 exhibitors from across the United States, Canada and Europe.
The fair also marks Philadelphia’s return to hosting an art fair following the launch of the Philadelphia Fine Art Fair in 2019. Elsewhere was founded by Megan Galardi, the owner of Blah Blah Gallery, which opened in 2023, is based in Philadelphia’s Bella Vista neighbourhood and has previously participated in fairs including Future Fair and Spring Break, among others.
Megan Galardi, founder of Elsewhere fair and Blah Blah Gallery Photo by Natalie Morano
“One thing that was important to me in building Elsewhere was creating a format that slows people down,” Galardi tells The Art Newspaper. “A lot of fairs can feel driven by scale and speed, where you’re moving through rows of booths trying to take in hundreds of presentations at once. I was interested in creating something more intimate and contextual, where galleries and artists have space to build fuller environments and conversations can unfold more organically.”
Participants in the fair’s inaugural edition include many Philadelphia galleries, including Blah Blah Gallery, Fjord, Fleisher/Ollman, Pentimenti, Procession Gallery and more. New York galleries make up just over a third of all participants, with spaces including 81 Leonard Gallery, Good Naked Gallery, Hyacinth Gallery, Osmos and Uffner & Liu making the trek 100m south. The fair’s three international participants the first time around are Harlesden High Street and Season 4 Episode 6 from London, and Janey from Toronto.
Brandon J. Donahue-Shipp, Basketball Bloom (Butyl Bladder), 2025 Courtesy the artist and Pentimenti
Elsewhere joins a growing number of independently organised fairs, including Esther, Arrival, Post-Fair and the Zero Art Fair, which have emerged in recent years as alternatives to conventional fair models. Rather than occupying a convention centre or warehouse, Elsewhere will take place in Philadelphia’s Yowie Hotel, allowing exhibitors to create presentations that feel closer to exhibitions or domestic installations than typical fair stands. Hotel-based fairs have gained traction in recent years, most notably Los Angeles’s Felix Art Fair, which held its 11th edition at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel last February. Elsewhere’s organisers hope the format will encourage visitors to spend more time with individual presentations while fostering stronger connections between exhibitors and the city’s broader cultural community.
The fair arrives at a moment when many galleries are reassessing the financial realities of fair participation. A recent article by Hyperallergic found that stand fees at major fairs can range from around $12,000 at a New Art Dealers Alliance fair to more than $100,000 at a Frieze fair—before factoring in shipping, travel, installation and staffing costs. Elsewhere’s largest exhibition spaces cost around $3,000, positioning the fair as a more accessible option for emerging and mid-sized galleries.
Blah Blah Gallery will show works by Patricia Renee’ Thomas, whose Flat Footed (pictured) is permanently on view at Yowie Hotel Courtesy of Yowie Hotel
The inaugural edition will take place throughout the boutique hotel’s suites and common spaces. Beyond exhibitions, the fair will feature panel discussions, DJ programming at Yowie’s café and curated tours designed to connect visiting galleries and collectors with Philadelphia’s wider arts ecosystem.
Philadelphia has also become an increasingly attractive destination for artists and small galleries priced out of larger markets such as New York and Los Angeles. Lower operating costs, a strong network of artist-run spaces and nonprofit organisations, and access to the Northeast’s collector base have helped position the city as a viable alternative for cultural workers seeking a more sustainable environment—as the artist Josh Kline argued recently in a widely circulated essay published by October. Elsewhere’s organisers hope the fair can build on that momentum while introducing new audiences to the city’s existing arts infrastructure.
Emmanuel Massillon, Cost Of Communication, decommissioned prison phones Courtesy of the artist and Harlesden High Street
“The response so far has been really encouraging because there seems to be excitement not only around the fair itself, but around Philadelphia as a place where these kinds of exchanges can happen,” Galardi says. “Beyond attendance, we’re also seeing interest in broader engagement through institutional visits and conversations across the city, which has always been central to the vision.”
As galleries continue to grapple with rising costs and questions about the sustainability of the traditional fair model, Elsewhere’s debut will test whether a smaller, more locally embedded approach can gain traction with artists, exhibitors, curators and collectors alike.
- Elsewhere, 4-6 June, Yowie Hotel, Philadelphia
