Art Week in LA isn’t just about Frieze but also gallery shows and parties, as well as an ever-growing number of satellite fairs that offer artwork at a price that won’t break your bank account. This year, these include Post-Fair, Other Art Fair, Felix Art Fair and, making its debut, BUTTER LA—part of the long-running Indianapolis-based BUTTER Fine Art Fair, which showcases the work of African-American artists in Hollywood Park in Inglewood.
“We came all the way through blue-chip artists, something for everyone: museums and institutional collectors, and corporate collectors,” curator Nakeyta Moore told the Observer. “We have limited works as well, and we cover all the bases when it comes to the type of art collector we invite. Although this is a show led by Black artists, the collector base is very broad. It’s for anyone and everyone.”
Chosen after nearly 30 studio visits, participating artists include former LA Dodger Micah Johnson, Autumn Breon, Cortney Herron, Micaiah Carter and April Bey, representing a mix of 50 percent Californian artists, most from LA, 25 percent from Indianapolis and others from places like New York, Chicago and Miami.
The preview night features a live sketch by Mr. Wash (officially: Fulton Leroy Washington), who attached a piece he’s been working on since the late 1980s featuring the likes of Trump and Elon Musk. “It’s about immigration and a lot of other things that we’ve been dealing with over the last few years,” Moore said, adding that much of the work is political despite the chaos of our current era. “We’re living under a storm right now, and from an artistic point of view, you need to process what’s going on before the works start. I think in the next few years we’re going to see a lot of political work, but people are a little afraid.”
Meanwhile, Other Art Fair is visiting Brooklyn, Dallas, London and Chicago, in addition to LA, where it achieved record results last September. In the latest iteration, the numbers weren’t as high but resulted in the second highest ever for the LA fair, up 41 percent year-over-year since February 2025. The average purchase saw a 16 percent jump year-over-year, as well as a jump in volume, up 21 percent.
Visitors to its new location, 3Labs in Culver City, enjoyed “The Art of Ping Pong: Play It Forward” hosted by Altadena Brick by Brick, a local nonprofit dedicated to rebuilding homes destroyed by the Eaton Fire. For a small donation, visitors can play on custom-designed ping-pong tables that double as works of art. Among other highlights, Farewell Line it was a place of communication where people left anonymous voicemails saying goodbye to those who didn’t get the chance. And the Faux-To Booth provided the equivalent of hand-drawn analog instead of automatic abstractions. It was also revealed Thank youa breathable installation by French-Australian artist Linus Gruszewski made from 1,500 recycled polyethylene bags. The concentric geometric structure filtered the sunlight, creating a shimmering landscape that transformed everyday trash into fields of color.
“Thankfully we’re not presenting an encyclopedic, fair fair for people. We don’t want to be too heavy-handed,” said director of fairs Nicole Garton about the show, which features shows put on by individual artists, not galleries. “We’re called the Other Art Fair, and that means we’re not trying to be another place for traditional art, but to grow it and bring other people in.”
As it has been since 2019, Felix Art Fair stayed in its usual location, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, adding 22 new exhibitors, including New York Life Gallery, LA’s Feia and Tokyo’s SOM GALLERY while welcoming 20 exhibitions, including Brigitte Mulholland from Paris, Corseyu’s in Uff & New York vs.
Set in the rooms and swimming pools next to the historic hotel pool painted by David Hockney, this year’s edition of the boutique fair featured textile artist Channing Hansen’s room, a maze of intricate fabrics that confused and delighted visitors. Also not to be missed is Tierra del Sol’s all-female program for artists with disabilities. Six were chosen out of 150, including Jenna Greene, who incorporates ASL into her work. She sold almost all of her pieces on the first day, contributing to the gallery’s first sale, which surpassed their 2025 exhibition, according to curator Jenny Rask.
“Felix has become a discovery show,” co-founder Mills Morán told the Observer, noting that their new application process has attracted “small and new shows, shows that have just opened… Slip House is only a year old,” he added, looking at the gallery in Greenwich Village. Slip House gallery artist Ingrid Lundren reported selling half of her inventory on the first day, with prices ranging from $1,400 for a work by Emily Clair Murdock to $54,000 for a large work by Keisuke Tada.
Morán does not follow the sale of the program, only in his gallery, Morán Morán, which he runs with his brother Al. “Right now it’s a mixed market, and I see it continuing,” he said. “We’ve been very strong in the lower and mid-range price points. The shows we’ve done have been really affordable, and they’re selling.”
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