You can be an exhibitor at art karlsruhe
art karlsruhe is an international art fair for classical modern and contemporary art. It was founded in 2004 and is organised annually in February by Messe Karlsruhe on the Messe Karlsruhe exhibition grounds.
The next edition of art karlsruhe will take place from 18 to 21 February 2027.
Le salon art karlsruhe présente des galeries proposant un large éventail de courants artistiques, allant des œuvres du début du XXe siècle à l'art contemporain.
Situé dans la région du Bade-Wurtemberg, qui compte de nombreux collectionneurs, et bénéficiant d'une position stratégique à proximité immédiate de la France et de la Suisse, le salon art karlsruhe est une plateforme bien établie dans le paysage des salons allemands.
Request registration documents
We are further refining our profile for the 2027 edition. Against the backdrop of dynamic and challenging changes in the market and its environment, our primary aim is to be a reliable and effective marketplace.
Participation fees will remain stable. Applications are subject to the revised terms and conditions. Please also refer to our FAQs.
Application deadline: 18 September 2026
FAQ
…an international fair for contemporary and modern art in which professional, high-quality galleries operating nationally and internationally can participate. One of the art karlsruhe’s key objectives is to foster and expand exchange with collectors and art institutions. By maintaining a high level of quality, the fair aims to broaden the circle of those interested in modern and contemporary art and to introduce younger audiences to the art market.
Against the backdrop of dynamic and challenging changes in the market and its environment, the primary goal of art karlsruhe is to serve as a reliable and effective marketplace for participating galleries. In 2027, the fair will further refine its focus to provide a supportive platform that creates an environment convincing to all participants—curatorially, conceptually, and economically.
Part of this renewal will be a revised hall concept. Around the focal points of Classical Modernism, Post-War Art, and Contemporary Art, the hall profiles will be sharpened curatorially and conceptually, creating new contexts and offering even better orientation.
The application period for art karlsruhe 2027 began in July 2026. Information on the application period can be found here and on art karlsruhe’s social media channels.
The deadline for applications for art karlsruhe 2027 is 18 September 2026.
The basic requirement for admission is that the exhibitor operates a gallery in Germany or abroad that works professionally and whose portfolio and presentation—both in the gallery space and at fairs and exhibitions—meet the standards of the fair.
Only galleries fulfilling the following criteria will be admitted:
1. Proof of business registration is required.
2. Gallery activity must be the primary profession.
3. Permanent own premises are not mandatory; however, regular and professional exhibition activity is required.
4. The registered artists must correspond to the permanent gallery program and be currently visible online. Curatorial projects are exempt.
In the future, increased consideration will be given to galleries actively participating in national and international artistic discourse, engaging in institutional mediation, participating in relevant art fairs, and publishing independently and with quality.
- Gallery space Standard (€ 275/sqm), from 50 sqm
- Gallery space Newcomer (€ 225/sqm), from 25 sqm (Founded from 2023 and fewer than 3 participations at art karlsruhe)
- sculpture:square solo (€ 10,000/100 sqm)
Yes, the friends program of art karlsruhe allows galleries to jointly design a stand space with a “befriended” gallery.
art karlsruhe is a gallery fair. Only professionally operating galleries may apply. Art brokers, self-marketing artists, and purely online galleries are not admitted.
After timely submission of complete application documents by September 18, 2026, the advisory board of art karlsruhe decides within six weeks, in agreement with the chair of the advisory board and Messe Karlsruhe, on admission. The advisory board is not obliged to conduct additional research. Exhibitors receive written notification of acceptance or rejection.
It is possible to present a one:artist show on a total stand area of at least 50 smq, offering a focused insight into the work of a single artistic position. The best one:artist show receives the art karlsruhe Prize, awarded by the State of Baden-Württemberg and the City of Karlsruhe, including the acquisition of works worth €15,000.
one:artist shows that have already been presented more than three times by the same gallery at art karlsruhe are automatically excluded from the jury process for the art karlsruhe Prize.
The minimum size per one:artist show is 25 sqm. Each gallery may register only one one:artist show for the award and the subsidized space. When combining a gallery presentation and a one:artist show, structural separation is required.
The programme, funded by the BKM and organised by the Federal Association of German Galleries and Art Dealers (BVDG) and art karlsruhe, recognises artistic practices which, despite their quality and a professional, sustained output of original artworks, have not been able to achieve consistent, supra-regional or international visibility, recognition or a collector base.
Detailed information on re:discover @ art karlsruhe can be found here.
Following re:discover, art karlsruhe has offered a new format for presenting artists’ estates since 2025 under the title re:frame.
Analogous to the one:artist show format, a 25 sqm area within the stand can be booked at a reduced stand rental price for the presentation of an estate verifiably managed by the gallery.
The program is accompanied editorially and within the fair’s talk program.
start:block is a special exhibition format in which art karlsruhe galleries present specific works particularly suited for starting an art collection. Located outside the gallery stands in Hall 3, it creates a low-threshold, diverse, and carefully curated section designed to inspire collecting.
paper:square is a special exhibition area dedicated to artistic positions engaging with the medium of paper.
Exhibitors at art karlsruhe may book additional running meters here. The exhibition space is curated by the fair. Sales generated from this special sales area are handled by the respective gallery.
Sculpture is more than just an accessory – it is at the heart of art karlsruhe. Whether outdoors in the sculpture garden or in the middle of the exhibition, sculptural works create perspectives, transform spaces and bring art to life. Three-dimensional, powerful, present. Further information on the sculpture focus can be found here.
- sculpture:square
The sculpture square measures 10 × 10 m and is reserved for installations, sculptures, and large-scale three-dimensional works. A sculpture:square can be booked in combination with a gallery stand and, for the first time in 2027, also independently.
The best sculpture:square receives the Loth Sculpture Prize, endowed with €20,000 and donated by L-Bank.
- sculpture:garden (outdoor)
Placement of a sculpture in the fair’s sculpture garden (atrium). Bookable while spaces are available. Galleries with a booked sculpture:square receive one sculpture:garden placement included.
- sculpture:spot circulation (indoor)
Newly designed as small open spaces with lighting via a suspended truss system. No stand construction. Sculptures should be experienced spatially and 360°. Located in the circulation areas (indoors, between the halls). Freestanding, including signage and lighting. Bookable while spaces are available.
In addition to the programs start:block, academy:square, and paper:square located in Hall 3, institutions and private collectors present curated special exhibitions of their collections each year, opening them to public discourse. This provides galleries with opportunities to develop new networks.
Yes, the Museums Mile in Hall 3 offers cultural institutions such as museums, art associations, and related institutions the opportunity to present themselves. Further information is available upon request: info@art-karlsruhe.de
For questions please contact
The Advisory Board of art karlsruhe
The adjudicating nine headed Advisory Board of art karlsruhe is composed of experts in the fair’s individual focal points. In agreement with the Chairman of the Advisory Board Kristian Jarmuschek and fair director Britta Wirtz, the Advisory Board decides whether or not to allow potential exhibitors to participate in the art fair.
Photo of Renate Bender
Renate Bender, Munich
Photo of Dr. Alexander Fils
Dr. Alexander Fils, Dusseldorf
Photo of Dr. Dorothea van der Koelen
Dr. Dorothea van der Koelen, Mainz/Venice
Photo of Arne Linde
Arne Linde, Leipzig
Photo of Christian K. Scheffel
Christian K. Scheffel, Bad Homburg
Photo by Michael Sturm
Michael Sturm, Stuttgart/Vienna
Photo of Werner Tammen
Werner Tammen, Berlin
The Museum Mile for exhibitors
art karlsruhe’s Museum Mile offers cultural institutions (such as museums, art associations and foundations, as well as culture tourism) a platform for sharing and utilizing the synergies of an international art fair as exhibitor.
Embedded in Hall 3 , the Museum Mile presents itself at art karlsruhe with attractive information stands. More than 40 selected institutions in Karlsruhe’s cultural landscape find their interested target audience here, as do cultural institutions from the entire federal state and neighbouring regions. International exhibitors come, for example, from France and Switzerland.
You will find your interested target audience here as an exhibitor!
You want to exhibit?
In order to make the presentation as comfortable as possible for you as exhibitor, the information stands of the Museum Mile already contain a stand construction and marketing package in addition to the stand area. Possible stand sizes vary from 9 to 24 square meters.
The presentation and sale of originals / editions / graphics is not permitted in the area of the Museum Mile. It is a pure advertising platform for the institution and its exhibitions, but not for individual artists. This is reserved for the galleries at the fair. The organizer decides on the admission to participate in agreement with the curator.
The application process
Please use our online platform to apply for admission to art karlsruhe.
You will be informed in writing once a decision has been made regarding your participation. The exhibition contract is concluded upon receipt of the official stand confirmation or written notification of admission.
The deadline for registration for the museum mile is October 2nd, 2026
Contact
Warning for exhibitors!
Attendee lists of art karlsruhe
We have noticed a growing number of fraudulent emails and websites masquerading as art karlsruhe and offering attendee lists. We would like to inform our exhibitors that our visitor data are not sold or rented.
Expo Guide entries
International Fairs Directory, EXPO GUIDE, Commercial Online Manuals S de RL de CV
We would like to draw your attention to untrustworthy exhibitor directory offers:
A Mexican company called "EXPO GUIDE, S.C." has contacted several exhibitors of Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre and asked them to update their entries on Expo Guide, a database for trade fairs and exhibitors. This company as well as a company called International Fairs Directory are currently aggressively expanding their presences on the German market. We would like to emphasise once again that none of the aforementioned companies has any cooperation whatsoever with the Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre. The entries on the Expo Guide site (www.expo-guide.com) and the International Fairs Directory (https://www.inter-fairs.com) are not related to any of our trade fairs.
Unsuspecting exhibitors are contracted to a three-year, non-retractable agreement, which could cost you a 1.171 € per year, with no foreseeable benefits.
If you receive any those letters, throw them away. If you mistakenly signed a contract, please follow the advice of the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry.
Karlsruher Messe- und Kongress GmbH expressly distances itself from the services offered by any of those companies as Commercial Online Manuals S de RL de CV and International Fairs Directory!
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
Sample letter
If you have ordered a chargeable entry from EXPO GUIDE, we provide you here with a letter for download which AUMA has checked with a lawyer and with which you can defend yourself against the payment of an invoice.
We also provide you with a sample letter from EXPO GUIDE for download.
