The 2026 Felix Art Fair, which unfolded at the illustrious Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, once again served as a dynamic platform for contemporary artistic expression. This year's iteration, marking its eighth presentation, featured a curated selection of 57 galleries, a significant number of which were first-time participants. The event not only underscored its role as a crucial fixture of L.A. Art Week but also celebrated the unique cultural tapestry of California, blending local iconography with diverse international perspectives from exhibitors spanning Tokyo to Seoul. Amidst the sun-drenched ambiance of the iconic venue, the fair radiated a palpable sense of unity and enduring spirit, demonstrating a renewed resilience within the art community, reminiscent of its fortitude following the city's past challenges. In this vibrant setting, a cadre of artists distinguished themselves through their innovative approaches and compelling narratives.
Spotlight on Creativity: Five Artists Making Waves at Felix Art Fair 2026
On February 25, 2026, the Felix Art Fair commenced its eighth annual showcase at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, known for its quintessential Old Hollywood charm. This prestigious event, established in 2018 by Dean Valentine, Al, and Mills Morán, has become an indispensable highlight of L.A. Art Week. The fair, celebrated for its discerning curatorial vision and the distinctive backdrop of the Roosevelt Hotel, including the iconic David Hockney-designed pool, offered an immersive experience. Works of art were ingeniously integrated into the hotel's intimate spaces, from guest rooms adorned with rich textures and hardwood floors to unexpected nooks. With an impressive roster of 57 galleries, nearly a third of which were local to Los Angeles, alongside international participants, the fair fostered an engaging dialogue between global and local artistic currents. Many showcased pieces directly engaged with the symbolism and heritage of Los Angeles, reflecting its distinctive Hollywood legacy and Californian ethos. The fair's communal spirit, particularly notable in its response to past city-wide adversities, continued to inspire, projecting a forward-looking vision for the art scene in Los Angeles.
Among the distinguished artists featured, Maddy Inez, born in Los Angeles in 1993, captivated audiences with her ceramic sculpture, The Sower (2023), presented by Megan Mulrooney. This biomorphic fountain, with its shimmering surface and gentle water flow, evoked a meditative tranquility. As the daughter and granddaughter of celebrated L.A. artists Alison and Betye Saar, Inez's work, including her "Memory Jugs" series, sensitively continues a profound artistic legacy, drawing from African American folk art traditions to create personal, honorific vessels.
Julien Lischka, a French painter born in 1986 and based in Paris, presented a striking collection with Sobering gallery. His pieces, informed by a deep fascination with California and cinematic influences such as Michael Mann's Heat and Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive, revealed a tension-filled visual language. Works like Mustang (2025) showcased his meticulous compositional skill, combining harsh artificial light with inky darkness to create evocative scenes. Lischka's background in mathematics imbued his art with a rigorous logic, evident even in the delicate balance of atmosphere and order in still lifes like Le Bouquet (2025).
South Korean artist Seo Hyun Kim, born in 1991 and residing in Seoul, made her U.S. debut with Gallery Playlist. Her paintings, crafted with traditional pigments and oil on layered fabric canvases, achieved a remarkable geological and historical depth. The tactile, skin-like surfaces, with their subtle ridges and valleys, captured light, bringing a dynamic presence to her works. Dancing Fossil (2026) exemplified her unique ability to blend inherited traditions with contemporary abstraction, revealing a mythic, horse-like figure emerging from layered pigments, simultaneously animated and suspended.
Brazilian artist Sacha Ingber, born in Rio de Janeiro in 1987 and working in New York, offered an intriguing exploration of bureaucracy and craft with her piece Stolen Document 3 (2022), exhibited by Uffner & Liu. This mixed-media wall sculpture, combining glazed ceramic, watercolor, and cane webbing within a cast frame, resembled archaeological fragments. Ingber's work, inspired by her reflections on societal structures and artistic discipline, played on the tension between spontaneous, gestural marks and the rigid formatting of administrative symbols. Her forthcoming solo exhibition at the gallery promises further insights into her creative process.
Finally, Japanese artist Keisuke Tada, born in Aichi in 1986 and based there, presented his profoundly researched paintings through a collaboration between London's Chilli Gallery and New York's Slip House. Tada's elaborate works, which can take up to two years to complete, are fictional historical landscapes built from numerous layers of acrylic and modeling paste. Through chemical processes and physical manipulation, he artificially ages these surfaces, creating an illusion of ancient relics. His canvases, like Painting of Incomplete Remains #302 (2025), blur the lines between reality and fiction, meticulously painted to mimic decayed materials while possessing an uncanny, almost digital feel. Having previously exhibited in Tokyo, Tada's unique approach continues to garner international acclaim.
The Felix Art Fair 2026 served as a powerful reminder of the global interconnectedness of the art world and the enduring spirit of artistic innovation. The featured artists, with their diverse backgrounds and unique methodologies, collectively offered a compelling vision of contemporary art's expansive landscape. Their ability to fuse personal narratives with broader cultural themes, and to experiment with materials and forms, leaves a lasting impression, inspiring viewers to reflect on the interplay between tradition and modernity, and the profound stories that art can tell. This event not only celebrated individual talents but also reaffirmed the collective strength and forward momentum of the international art community.