San Francisco Art Fair
April 16–19, 2026
Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, San Francisco
Image: 2025 San Francisco Art Fair Attendees. Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, San Francisco.
Overview
The San Francisco Art Fair, formerly known as Art Market San Francisco, is the city’s longest running art fair, taking place annually at Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture. This year’s fair features 85 galleries from around the world and kicks off with it’s opening party on Thursday night, followed by 3 additional days of viewing and purchasing art.
Admission
Tickets to the event are available at 2 levels. Admission to the opening party + 3-day pass is $65 and a DAILY pass is $35.
Programming
San Francisco Art Fair’s projects and events include presentations, talks, demonstrations, and performances given by a variety of art professionals, and are FREE to attend with admission.
SF Art Fair’s 2026 Public Projects
Shared Scriptors Presented by Saint Joseph’s Arts Society & Art + Water
Shared Scriptors is a collaborative installation by Saint Joseph’s Arts Society and Art + Water that reimagines the fair experience as a space for rest, reflection, and collective exchange. Centered on mentorship and artistic stewardship, the presentation brings together works by founding mentors from Art + Water, highlighting the role of artists in sustaining creative communities. Designed as a calm, lounge-like environment inspired by Saint Joseph’s church setting, the installation invites visitors to pause and gather, while a participatory book project encourages audiences to contribute written reflections alongside artists—transforming the exhibition into an evolving, shared text. Framing “scripture” as something collaboratively authored over time, Shared Scriptors positions art as a communal act shaped by care, dialogue, and ongoing public participation. *ALSO CHECK OUT Saint Joseph's Arts Society's The Recompense for the Righteous on view through May 8, 2026 (post to follow soon!)
A Quiet Resilience, Curated by Michelle Edelman Presented by San Francisco Art Dealers Association (SFADA)
A Quiet Resilience, curated by Michelle Edelman and presented by the San Francisco Art Dealers Association, brings together works that explore resilience through subtle, material, and conceptual means rather than overt representation. Focusing on pieces made from seemingly fragile elements—such as paper, fiber, feathers, and organic matter—the exhibition highlights how endurance can be expressed through structure, accumulation, and care, challenging assumptions about permanence and strength. By foregrounding quiet persistence and artistic rigor, the presentation reveals resilience as something embedded within process and materiality, offering a nuanced perspective on how artworks sustain themselves over time.
BAIA Fine Art Print Fair Presented by Black Art In America
The BAIA Fine Art Print Fair, presented by Black Art In America, brings together fine art prints and works on paper by more than 50 influential artists spanning legacy masters and contemporary voices, including Sam Gilliam, Elizabeth Catlett, Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, and Jamaal Barber, among others. Highlighting the enduring significance of printmaking, the presentation underscores how editioned works—rooted in a centuries-long tradition embraced by major institutions—offer both accessibility and depth for collectors, serving as meaningful entry points into historically important practices while reflecting the continued vitality and evolution of the medium today.
Where Art Originates, Curated by Mushi Wooseong James Presented by Djerassi Resident Artists Program
Where Art Originates, curated by Mushi Wooseong James and presented by the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, explores how time, space, and support shape the creative process. The presentation highlights works developed through the program’s long-standing residency model, where artists are given uninterrupted time to experiment, reflect, and develop ideas within a focused natural setting in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Featuring artists such as David Nash, Amber Jean Young, John Roloff, Lauren DiCioccio, and Barbara Nerness, the exhibition traces how ideas cultivated in retreat evolve into lasting contributions to contemporary art. By emphasizing process over product, the presentation reveals how residencies foster deep artistic inquiry and generate work that resonates beyond the studio.
大大膽 Da Da Daam Presented by Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco & Edge on the Square
大大膽 (Da Da Daam)—presented by the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco and Edge on the Square—channels fearless energy, inventive thinking, and daring expression grounded in Chinatown and Asian diasporic life. Featuring Bijun Liang, Leland Wong, Yumei Hou, Alice Wu, Connie Zheng, Dixon Ngai, Justin Wong, and Tung Pang Lam, the presentation brings together voices deeply connected to San Francisco’s Chinatown as a site of ongoing experimentation and exchange. Shifting between remembrance and playfulness, these works navigate migration, identity, and survival, transforming loss, humor, and ambiguity into generative material. Positioning Chinatown as both a tangible place and an evolving idea, Da Da Daam underscores creative practice as a means of shaping new narratives, fostering connection, and imagining alternative futures.
The Accordion Shop Presented by 500 Capp Street
500 Capp Street is proud to participate in this year’s San Francisco Art Fair with a special presentation of The Accordion Shop. Launched last year as the foundation’s concept store, The Accordion Shop operates as a platform for artists experimenting across materials and forms. Housed within the historic David Ireland House—once home to Paul Greub’s accordion repair shop—the store honors the site’s layered history while supporting contemporary artistic practices. For the fair, 500 Capp Street will transport The Accordion Shop beyond its permanent home, offering a curated selection of works by Mildred Howard, Rico Duenas, Patrick Carroll, The Shimura Bros, and others. The presentation highlights the store’s commitment to material experimentation, collaboration, and accessible collecting. Through this offsite iteration, 500 Capp Street extends its mission to foster dialogue between contemporary art, history, and community—bringing the spirit of 500 Capp Street to the fair floor. *ALSO CHECK OUT Root Division's Trina Michelle Robinson: Open Your Eyes to Water (double venue show with 500 Capp Street & Root Division) from Feb. 11–May 16, 2026.
Seeing San Francisco Presented by Root Division | Booth A29
Seeing San Francisco, presented by Root Division at Booth A29 and curated by PJ Gubatina Policarpio, draws inspiration from Invisible Cities to reimagine San Francisco as a layered, emotional landscape shaped by memory, desire, and interconnected experience. Framed as a collective love letter to the city, the exhibition features works by Ariel Rivera, Devyn Passaretti, Elaine Nguyen, and Shrey Purohit, whose practices span painting, design, and interdisciplinary work to explore themes of place, identity, and belonging. Together, the artists present San Francisco not simply as a physical city, but as a shifting, imagined terrain—one shaped by personal histories, collective feeling, and the quiet resonance between inner and outer worlds. *ALSO CHECK OUT Root Division's Trina Michelle Robinson: Open Your Eyes to Water (double venue show with Root Division & 500 Capp Street) from Feb. 11–May 16, 2026.
Anida Yoeu Ali's The Red Chador: Becoming Rogue, 2026 (Participatory Performance & Installation) Presented by Creative Generation Cambodia
The Red Chador: Becoming Rogue (2026) is a participatory performance and installation presented by Anida Yoeu Ali and Creative Generation Cambodia that transforms part of the fair into an immersive, fashion-inspired environment activated by the public. Building on her internationally recognized Red Chador series, Ali invites visitors into a boutique-like space where they can select and wear custom garments crafted from Southeast Asian textiles, stepping into a performative role as they walk, pose, and photograph themselves. Originally conceived in response to Islamophobia, the work encourages participants to move beyond assumptions and engage embodied experiences of visibility, identity, and representation. As images accumulate into a collective archive of 99 portraits—referencing the 99 names of Allah—the installation unfolds as a dynamic exploration of perception, participation, and the politics of looking.
Jon Cuyson's The Sun Beneath, 2026 Curated by Mara Gladstone Presented by Mahal Projects
The Sun Beneath (2026), curated by Mara Gladstone and presented by Mahal Projects, offers a preview of Jon Cuyson’s upcoming exhibition for the Philippine Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale. The series features richly layered paintings built from acrylic and lacquer, where imprints of marine debris and everyday materials settle into luminous, shifting surfaces that evoke submerged environments. Framed as compact “memory modules,” these works extend Cuyson’s ongoing exploration of maritime ecologies, tracing connections between love, labor, diaspora, and the sea as a living archive. Positioned beneath the horizon of his larger installation Sea of Love / Dagat ng Pag-ibig, the presentation reflects on what lingers below visibility—material traces, histories, and entangled narratives of place and belonging.
Jeremy Deller's Life Drawing of a Caregiver, 2026 Presented by The Alternative Art School
Jeremy Deller's Life Drawing of a Caregiver (2026) is a participatory project presented by The Alternative Art School that reframes the life drawing format through the lens of caregiving. The project features clothed models drawn from caregiving professions—such as nurses, teachers, and foster parents—inviting participants to focus on roles of service and attention rather than individual identity. Led by local facilitators, the sessions create a structured yet responsive environment where those who care for others are themselves observed and drawn. These free sessions take place at the San Francisco Art Fair on the following dates and times: Thursday, April 16, 5:00–8:00 PM (San Francisco Art Fair Theater); Saturday, April 18, 2:00–5:00 PM (Upper Mezzanine Lounge); Sunday, April 19, 2:00–5:00 PM (Upper Mezzanine Lounge). Through this format, Deller continues his exploration of social roles and collective labor, using drawing as a means of focused observation and quiet exchange.
Trulee Hall's Cloud Goddess, 2026
Trulee Hall's Cloud Goddess (2026) is a suspended multimedia kinetic sculpture that evokes a celestial, watchful presence hovering above the viewer. Shaped like a luminous cloud, the work incorporates animated video “eyes” and rotating zigzag forms that suggest lightning, blending mythology with contemporary technology. Drawing on ancient sky deities, the piece reimagines a feminine, cosmic intelligence observing human activity below, creating an immersive environment that exists between atmosphere, ritual, and perception.
Chad Hasegawa's Untitled, 2026 Presented by Good Mother Gallery, Booth C03
Chad Hasegawa's Untitled (2026) is a large-scale mural installed on two 40-foot shipping containers and presented by Good Mother Gallery. Executed in DayGlo and acrylic, the work features hard-edged forms and precise color fields that emphasize clarity, rhythm, and structure within the tradition of California abstraction. With minimal, deliberate compositions, the mural unfolds across the corrugated steel surface like flowing currents, using shape, repetition, and color to create a quiet yet dynamic visual field.
Mary Lai's Carry On, 2026 Presented by Yiwei Presents, Booth C07
Mary Lai's Carry On (2026) is a series of leather and wood sculptures presented by Yiwei Presents. Built from layered, stitched, and edge-painted materials, the arched forms resemble portals, rainbows, or plant-like structures that can stand alone or group together like a forest. Exploring themes of identity and emotional baggage, the works balance softness and structure while reimagining the idea of what it means to “carry on” by suggesting release rather than burden.
SF Art Fair’s 2026 Lineup of Talks
Inheriting San Francisco | April 17, 2026 · 4:00–5:00 p.m.
Inheriting San Francisco is a conversation moderated by William Hanley, bringing together stage curator and designer Anand Sheth with artists and designers Chibuzor Darl-Uzu and Damaso Mayer. The discussion examines how San Francisco’s emerging design voices respond to challenges such as displacement, limited resources, and evolving cultural infrastructure by embracing collaboration, reclaimed materials, and adaptive forms of making. Centered on material experimentation and community-driven practice, the talk highlights how each participant approaches design as a tool for stewardship, care, and reimagining the built environment.
Curating Across Landscapes and Biennials | April 17, 2026 · 5:00–6:30 p.m.
This conversation brings together curator and writer Nato Thompson with Jenny Gil and Mara Gladstone to discuss how large-scale exhibitions are expanding beyond traditional institutions into landscapes, cities, and international platforms like the Venice Biennale. They explore how artists respond to specific places, how curators work across different cultural and institutional frameworks, and how these site-responsive projects shape public engagement. The conversation also highlights the role of initiatives like Desert X and national pavilions in connecting contemporary art to broader, more diverse audiences.
Whose Art, Which Public? | April 18, 2026 · 12:00–1:00 p.m.
This timely panel considers the shifting role of public art in San Francisco, examining how artists, institutions, and communities are rethinking its purpose amid broader cultural reckonings. Moderated by Ted Barrow, the conversation brings together Mildred Howard, a pioneering artist known for her five-decade practice exploring memory and identity; Shannon Riley, Founder and CEO of Building 180; Angela Carrier, Senior Program Manager at the San Francisco Arts Commission; and Sarah Hotchkiss, Senior Editor at KQED. Together, the panel explores the historical foundations and contested legacies of public art, while highlighting emerging, equity-driven approaches that engage civic memory, community dialogue, and new possibilities for how public space can reflect and serve diverse audiences today.
Artist Talk with Anida Yoeu Ali | April 18, 2026 · 1:30–2:30 p.m.
This conversation features San Francisco Art Fair Artistic Director Nato Thompson and interdisciplinary artist Anida Yoeu Ali discussing her performance series The Red Chador, which addresses Islamophobia, identity, and the visibility of Muslim women in public space. The discussion traces the work’s evolution from its 2015 debut in Paris, through its disappearance and later reinvention as a collective, multicolored performance, and also touches on her broader practice, including The Buddhist Bug. Together, they explore themes of resilience, visibility, and how public performance can challenge perceptions and spark dialogue.
Mark Bulwinkle Book Signing | April 18, 2026 · 2:00–3:00 p.m.
a special appearance and book signing with Funk artist Mark Bulwinkle at the John Natsoulas Gallery Booth E11 on Saturday, April 18, 2026, from 2:00–3:00 PM. Bulwinkle, a key figure in the Bay Area Funk art movement, will be signing copies of his 2023 monograph published by John Natsoulas Press, available for purchase at the booth for $40. Known for his playful, irreverent style, Bulwinkle’s work often features animal imagery used to comment on contemporary culture, along with his distinctive torch-cut metal sculptures. The event offers attendees a chance to meet the artist, learn about his practice, and explore his decades-long career, which includes both his public artworks and his iconic Oakland studio, Bulwinkleland.
“The Power of Photography”: Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know About Collecting Fine Art Photography | April 18, 2026 · 3:00–3:45 p.m.
Collector and gallerist Peter Fetterman, founder of Peter Fetterman Gallery, reflects on his decades-long journey in photography, sharing personal stories behind works featured in his book The Power of Photography. Drawing from over 40 years in the field as a filmmaker, collector, and pioneering gallery owner—first opening his space in 1988 and helping establish Bergamot Station as a major arts hub—Fetterman explores the emotional and cultural resonance of photography, highlighting its capacity to capture beauty, history, and the human spirit. Through his perspective and extensive holdings of 20th-century humanist photography, the talk invites audiences to experience photography not only as a visual medium, but as a powerful force for connection, memory, and transformation.
Today Is Good For Causing Trouble: A Conversation with Sherman XM Jiang | April 18, 2026 · 5:30–6:30 p.m.
Artist Sherman XM Jiang joins curator Abby Chen for a conversation presented by the Asian Art Museum, exploring Jiang’s evolving artistic practice, from mythological and symbolic imagery to feminist reinterpretations of cultural systems. The discussion highlights works like Jiang’s Chinese Almanac series, which reimagines the years of China’s rapid economic growth through a personal and playful lens, transforming traditional frameworks into tools for reflection and reinterpretation. Together, they examine themes of mythology, identity, resilience, and how art can challenge and reshape everyday expectations through humor and imagination.
The Future of Art Spaces in San Francisco | April 19, 2026 · 12:00–1:00 p.m.
This forward-looking panel examines the future of San Francisco’s evolving creative ecosystem, bringing together arts leaders to discuss how organizations are supporting artists, engaging audiences, and sustaining cultural vitality amid ongoing change. Participants include JD Beltran, Co-Founder of Art + Water and longtime former President of the San Francisco Arts Commission; Martin Strickland, Director of Saint Joseph’s Arts Foundation; and PJ Gubatina Policarpio, Curator at Root Division. Together, they share insights into innovative programming, community-centered practices, and the challenges and opportunities shaping the city’s art spaces, offering a grounded yet optimistic perspective on how San Francisco’s arts community can continue to adapt, connect, and thrive.
Ghost Stories: Afterlives in Asian American Art | April 19, 2026 · 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Ghost Stories: Afterlives in Asian American Art brings together artists Cathy Lu, Binh Danh, and Jenifer K Wofford, moderated by Aleesa Pitchamarn Alexander, in a conversation exploring how memory, migration, and history persist and are reimagined in contemporary art. Through sculpture, photography, painting, and performance, the artists examine how colonial histories, war, and cultural identity continue to “haunt” the present. Their work transforms these narratives—through Lu’s reworking of ceramic traditions, Danh’s nature-based photographic processes, and Wofford’s playful reimagining of cultural figures—into spaces for reflection, visibility, and reinterpretation.
Professionalizing your Network: Artist Residencies in the Bay | April 19, 2026 · 4:00–5:00 p.m.
this panel convenes leading voices from Bay Area residency programs to offer a candid, practical look at how residencies support artists at every stage—from navigating the application process to fostering professional development, community, and post-residency opportunities—while addressing key issues of accessibility, equity, and funding. Moderated by Christine Tien Wang, Chair of Graduate Fine Arts at California College of the Arts, the conversation features Kelly Sicat, Director of the Lucas Artists Program at Montalvo Arts Center; Jonathan Carver Moore, founder and director of Jonathan Carver Moore; Mushi Wooseong James, Creative Director of the Djerassi Resident Artists Program; and Matthew McTire, Director of Operations at the Community Arts Stabilization Trust, each bringing insight into how their programs are evolving to better support diverse artistic communities and how artists can make the most of these opportunities.
Highlights
*2026 highlights coming after April 19, 2026—until then, here are my faves from last year’s fair.
SAN FRANCISCO ART FAIR FAVES 2025 (1)
- Entrance SF Art Fair
- Loved how Saint Josephs Arts Foundation’s Cult of Culture—featuring re.riddle’s Quincy Tana Arcega, Kamran Samimi, Summer Mei Ming Lee, Miriam Hitchcock, and Sylvan Fiss—beautifully recreated their aesthetic at the fair’s entrance. A FABULOUS welcome!
- Summer Mei Ming Lee // re.riddle
- Curator/Director of Saint Joseph’s Arts Foundation Martin Jay Strickland
- Kensuke Yamada // Duane Reed Gallery
- Brian Keith Thomas’ installation at The Guardhouse (entrance to Fort Mason) Birthright: Revolutionary Aspects of Freedom
- Alessandro Gallo // Duane Reed
- Kelly Ording // pt.2
- Hung Liu // pt.2
- Hung Liu // pt.2
- Press Toast with SF Art Fair
- PJ Policarpio with B Colleen from Root Division’s magical/realism curated by PJ Policarpio
- B Colleen // Root Division
- COL Gallery’s Callie Jones with work by Jane Kim // Andra Norris Gallery from SFADA’s (Re)Constructed Worlds
- Ryan Whelan // pt.2
- Liz Hernández // pt.2
- Sanjay Vora // Maybaum Gallery
- Joan Brown // John Natsoulas Gallery
- Richard Shaw // pt.2
- Isaac Vazquez Avila // pt.2
- Solee Darrell // pt.2
- Mary Belknap // Creativity Explored
- Jessenia Garcia // Creativity Explored
- Abacá’s DELICIOUS empanadas, lumpia, sisig fried rice
- Abacá’s fair dishes
- Abacá’s (Francis and Dian Ang, Edmund Baylon, Peter Golpeo)
SAN FRANCISCO ART FAIR FAVES 2025 (2)
- Entrance SF Art Fair
- Fair goers
- Itzél Rios-Ellis // from Root Division’s magical/realism curated by PJ Policarpio
- Emily Payne // Donna Seager Fine Arts
- Viola Frey // pt.2
- Cinque Mubarak // pt.2
- Cinque Mubarak // pt.2
- More fair goers
- Liz Hernández // pt.2
- Natalie Cartwright with Esther Shimazu sculptures // John Natsoulas Gallery
- Esther Shimazu // Natsoulas Gallery
- Michelle Gregor // Natsoulas Gallery
- Alicia McCarthy // pt.2
- Arthur Baud // Sobering Galerie
- Kim Cogan // Maybaum Gallery
- Brice Blanque // Sobering Galerie
- Wanxin Zhang // Catharine Clark Gallery
- Libby Black + Art books // Anthony Meier
- Erica Deeman // Anthony Meier
- Clare Rojas // Jessica Silverman
- Cathy Rose // Donna Seager Fine Arts & Artist Books
- Cathy Rose // Donna Seager Fine Arts & Artist Books
- Masako Miki, Clare Rojas, Rupy C Tut // Jessica Silverman
- Annie Duncan // Johansson Projects
- Jessica Jane Charleston, Nicki Green // CULT Aimee Friberg
- Sheena Rose // Johansson Projects
- Lisa Rock // Johansson Projects
- Andrea Bowers // Jessica Silverman
- Isaac Julien (Don’t miss his STUNNING show at the de Young Museum. Closes July 27, 2025. Post to follow soon.) // Jessica Silverman
- Chelsea Ryoko Wong // Jessica Silverman
SAN FRANCISCO ART FAIR FAVES 2025 (3)
- Entrance SF Art Fair
- Fair goers
- Ethan Murrow // Winston Wächter Fine Art
- Nan Goldin (Greer’s Life) // Piero Spadero Gallery
- Marcelo Suaznabar // Spence Gallery
- Marcelo Suaznabar // Spence Gallery
- Alessandro Gallo // Duane Reed Gallery
- Rashaad Newsome // Piero Spadero Gallery
- Jan Kaláb // HOFA
- Sayaka Kawamura // The Tollman Collection
- Gwen Manfrin // Andrea Schwartz Gallery
- Miya Ando // Nancy Toomey Fine Art
- Erik Hall // Hall Spassov
- Sophie Victoria // HOFA
- Max Patté // HOFA
- Open Editions booth
- Open Editions merch (LOVE the vases by Alison Owen and the blankets by Jen Stark, Cathy Lu, David Huffman and Isaí Pineda.)
- Blanket by Isaí Pineda // Open Editions
- Carissa Potter Carlson Mood Clock // Open Editions
Vendors
An assortment of art-inspired merch is featured in the Open Editions pop-up shop, whose brick and mortar is located in San Francisco’s Mission District. New to the fair this year is the CCC (Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco) Design Store pop-up, which will showcase contemporary work from more than 75 artists, designers, makers, and craftspeople.
Abacá (LOVE THEM!) will be serving a selection of their acclaimed contemporary Filipino-Californian cuisine from their Fisherman’s Wharf location
Drinks will be available for purchase from Grand Lake Cocktails (crafted cocktails from Oakland’s Grand Lake Kitchen, another local eatery I enjoy).
Seating is upstairs towards the rear of the exhibition hall.
Nearby Food & Drink at Fort Mason
Fort Mason also has some great dining and drink options that are just a few steps from the exhibition halls including:
Goody Cafe | 2 Marina Blvd Landmark Building C
Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture hosts nearly two dozen non-profit and arts organizations as permanent residents, including Goody Cafe. Come visit our residents today!
Equator Coffees | 2 Marina Blvd (lot entrance)
Founded in 1995, Equator Coffees is a specialty coffee roaster and cafe operator from California known for a commitment to sustainably harvested coffee.
Radhaus | 2 Marina Blvd Building A
Radhaus, San Francisco – Alpine Beerhall, restaurant and bar in the Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture with a wonderful view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Greens Restaurant | 2 Marina Blvd Building A
The opening of Greens Restaurant on San Francisco Bay in 1979 forever changed the image and appreciation of vegetarian cooking in America. Originally opened as part of the San Francisco Zen Center and inspired by the food and service offered at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, Greens was created as a place where practice and daily life could meet. From the beginning, Greens has drawn on the organic fields of Green Gulch Farm — a working Zen farm established in 1972 to grow food as part of practice and community life. For nearly five decades, vegetables from Green Gulch’s certified organic gardens have come into our kitchen in San Francisco, grounding our menus in the soil, seasons, and mindful care that are at the heart of our tradition.
The Interval at Long Now, San Francisco Bar + Cafe | 2 Marina Blvd Center Building A
Cafe, bar, museum, and home of The Long Now Foundation in San Francisco. Enjoy coffee or cocktails surrounded by mechanical wonders, books, and the beauty of the San Francisco Bay.
See More Art at Fort Mason
There’s even more art to see at Fort Mason Center at the following locations:
SF Camerawork | Nasim Moghadam: And Yet, We See | Jan. 31–May 9, 2026 | 2 Marina Blvd Building C, First Floor
SF Camerawork presents And Yet, We See, a solo exhibition by Nasim Moghadam, curated by Zoë Latzer, that transforms photography into immersive, sculptural installations exploring visibility, agency, and resilience in the face of erasure. Through layered images, organic materials, and site-responsive environments, Moghadam’s work bears witness to histories of surveillance, oppression, and displacement—inviting viewers to reflect on what it means to see and be seen when power attempts to obscure or silence. Rooted in both personal and political narratives, the exhibition positions photography as an active, embodied process of witnessing, creating a space where suppressed voices are amplified and the act of looking becomes a form of resistance and connection.
Haines Gallery | Shiva Ahmadi: Crown of Flames | March 13–April 25, 2026 | 2 Marina Blvd Building C, First Floor
Haines Gallery proudly presents Crown of Flames, our second solo exhibition with Iranian-American multimedia artist Shiva Ahmadi (b. 1975, Tehran, Iran; lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area). Conceived before the current Middle Eastern conflict, Crown of Flames features new and recent works that continue Ahmadi’s longterm exploration of conflict, corruption, and instability, informed by her own experiences and the current news cycle. The works on view unfold as both personal testimony and global allegory, at once dazzling and devastating. Across painting, sculpture, and video, Ahmadi fuses formal beauty with an undercurrent of violence, drawing uneasy parallels between her brightly painted scenes and global issues of war, resource extraction, and the rise of authoritarian regimes — in the United States, Iran, Venezuela, and beyond.
Museo Italo Americano | 2 Marina Blvd Building C
Preserving the heritage of Italian Americans for future generations through art, language, and culture. Exhibitions, Italian language classes, films, lectures, special events, gift shop, guided tours of Italy.
Matt Passmore: Tied/Untied | Ongoing | 2 Marina Blvd (lot entrance)
Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture (FMCAC) is proud to present Matt Passmore’s Tied/Untied.
QUICK GUIDE: SAN FRANCISCO ART FAIR 2026
⭐ DATES: April 16–19, 2026
⭐ HOURS: Open Thursday 6:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.; Friday–Saturday 11:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.; Sunday 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
⭐ ADMISSION: San Francisco Art Fair Opening Party + 3-day fair pass is $65 per person; $35 Daily Pass.
⭐ TALKS: FREE W/ADMISSION. SEE WEBSITE FOR FULL LIST.
- Friday, April 17, 2026 | 5:00–6:30 p.m.: Curating Across Landscapes and Biennials with Nato Thompson, Jenny Gil, and Mara Gladstone.
- Saturday, April 18, 2026 | 12:00–1:00 p.m.: Whose Art, Which Public? with Ted Barrow, Mildred Howard (*don’t miss her upcoming retrospective opening at OMCA on June 12, 2026!), Shannon Riley, Angela Carrier, and Sarah Hotchkiss.
- Saturday, April 18, 2026 | 1:30–2:30 p.m.: Artist Talk with Anida Yoeu Ali and Nato Thompson.
- Sunday, April 19, 2026 | 12:00–1:00 p.m.: The Future of Art Spaces in San Francisco with JD Beltran, Martin Strickland, and PJ Gubatina Policarpio
- Sunday, April 19, 2026 | 2:00–3:00 p.m.: Ghost Stories: Afterlives in Asian American Art with Aleesa Pitchamarn Alexander, Cathy Lu, Binh Danh, and Jenifer K Wofford.
- Sunday, April 19, 2026 | 4:00–5:00 p.m.: Professionalizing your Network: Artist Residencies in the Bay with Christine Tien Wang, Kelly Sicat, Jonathan Carver Moore, Mushi Wooseong James and Matthew McTire.
⭐ FOOD/DRINK
- Drinks by Grand Lake Cocktails
- Food by Abacá (contemporary Filipino-Californian cuisine)
- More food/drink @ Fort Mason: The Interval (curated cafe/bar); Goody Cafe (casual art cafe); Equator Coffees; Greens Restaurant (upscale vegetarian); Radhaus (gastropub).
- *Off the Grid/West Coast Craft Spring Night Market 2026 on FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2026 FROM 5:00 P.M.–10:00 P.M. includes 25+ food vendors and 50+ artists/craftspeople.
⭐ SHOP: Open Editions pop-up with unique, art-inspired merch & CCC (Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco) Design Store pop-up.
⭐ PARKING: Parking Lot $3–$16. *Fort Mason will be hosting their Spring Night Market Event on FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2026 FROM 5:00 P.M.–10:00 P.M. You may want to consider using a rideshare service on that day, as parking may be limited.
⭐ NEARBY ART:
- Off the Grid/West Coast Craft Spring Night Market 2026 on FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2026 FROM 5:00 P.M.–10:00 P.M. includes 20+ food vendors and 50+ artists/craftspeople.
- SF Camerawork: Nasim Moghadam: And Yet, We See from Jan. 31–May 9, 2026 [Building C, First Floor]
- Haines Gallery: Shiva Ahmadi: Crown of Flames from March 13–April 25, 2026 [Building C, First Floor]
- Museo Italo Americano [Building C]
- Matt Passmore: Tied/Untied [lot entrance]
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Author: ALoveLettertoArt
