A New Brooklyn Art Fair With a Global Outlook Debuts This Spring

In 2025, Brooklyn-based Powerhouse Arts announced that a new art fair would be joining the spring art world calendar: Conductor: Art Fair of the Global Majority—a term used to describe the communities of African, Asian, Indigenous, Latin American, and other non-white peoples who collectively represent most of the world’s population. After offering a curated preview last year, the fair will unveil its inaugural edition April 30–May 3, 2026.
Bringing together individual artists and galleries from Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Oceania, and Indigenous nations, the fair highlights voices and perspectives that have historically faced barriers to the New York art market.
Conductor: Art Fair of the Global Majority preview (2025). Photo: Gina Curovic. Courtesy of Powerhouse Arts.
“By centering artists from the Global Majority and Indigenous nations, this fair doesn’t just expand the conversation, it fundamentally celebrates those who are leading it,” said Powerhouse Arts President Eric Shiner. “We are proud to welcome 27 Gallery Exhibitors and 17 Special Projects whose works, histories, and communities may have historically confronted barriers to entry in the New York City market. At Powerhouse Arts, we believe the future of art is global and deeply committed to artists—and Conductor is our bold testament to that future.”
Presenter highlights include O Art Space from Pakistan, which focuses on promoting Pakistani art and artists both within the country and abroad. Based in Peru, Light for the Amazon was established in 2020 by artist Matteo Callegari as a nonprofit devoted to early education programs focused on ecology, sustainability, and the preservation of Indigenous knowledge. A local presenter, New York’s Gladwell Projects, has a dynamic program that uplifts artists across career stages and practices that defy easy categorization. Additional presentations from New York organizations including Deanna Evans and Proxyco, as well as international participants such as Brihatta Art Foundation in Bangladesh and Galería Exta in Guatemala, offer visitors and collectors a truly international perspective.
Installation view of work by Modupeola Fadugba. Photo: Gina Curovic. Courtesy of Powerhouse Arts.
Complementing the Gallery Exhibitor section, the fair will also present a full slate of programming alongside Special Projects, an invitational section featuring large-scale installations, sculptures, and mixed-media works.
“Through the collaboration with the team at Powerhouse Arts, this fair has the institutional foundation and the creative freedom to do something genuinely different,” said Conductor Fair Director Adriana Farietta. “The programming we’ve built together, across both the Gallery Exhibitor and Special Projects sections, reflects our shared belief that the art world is a more vibrant place when it makes space for a new vanguard of artistic talent from across the globe. Through Conductor, we seek to celebrate pluralism across the world’s most vibrant regions.”
Artist Khaled Jarrar speaking at Conductor: Art Fair of the Global Majority preview (2025). Photo: Gina Curovic. Courtesy of Powerhouse Arts.
Further connecting the fair with the global art scene, several artists presenting at Conductor will also appear in the 2026 Venice Biennale, including Annalee Davis and Tammy Nguyen in the Main Exhibition, as well as Beya Gille Gacha in the Cameroon Pavilion.
The inaugural edition of Conductor brings together a broad range of artists and galleries working across the Global Majority, offering visitors and collectors a wide view of contemporary practices and perspectives.
Conductor: Art Fair of the Global Majority will be held April 30–May 3, 2026.

Facts Only

* Powerhouse Arts announced the “Conductor: Art Fair of the Global Majority” in 2025.
* The fair will be held in New York City in 2026.
* The fair will run from April 30–May 3, 2026.
* The fair aims to showcase art and artists from the Global Majority.
* The fair includes 27 Gallery Exhibitors and 17 Special Projects.
* Artists and galleries are represented from Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Oceania, and Indigenous nations.
* O Art Space from Pakistan, Light for the Amazon from Peru, and Gladwell Projects from New York are participating.
* Brihatta Art Foundation in Bangladesh and Galería Exta in Guatemala are also participants.
* Annalee Davis, Tammy Nguyen, and Beya Gille Gacha will be presenting at the fair.
* The fair connects with the Venice Biennale, with several artists participating there.
* The fair’s inaugural edition is focused on contemporary practices and perspectives.

Executive Summary

The Conductor: Art Fair of the Global Majority, announced by Powerhouse Arts in 2025, is set to debut in New York City in 2026 from April 30th to May 3rd. The fair’s core purpose is to provide a platform for artists and galleries representing the Global Majority – encompassing African, Asian, Indigenous, Latin American, and other non-white communities. Featuring 27 gallery exhibitors and 17 special projects, the fair aims to address historical barriers faced by these artists within the New York art market. Initial presentations include O Art Space from Pakistan, Light for the Amazon from Peru, and Gladwell Projects from New York, showcasing diverse artistic approaches. The fair’s organizers highlight the inclusion of international participants such as Brihatta Art Foundation and Galería Exta, promising a truly global perspective. Furthermore, several participating artists will also exhibit at the 2026 Venice Biennale, suggesting a significant connection within the international art world. While the precise motivations and mechanisms behind the fair's creation are not explicitly stated, it represents a deliberate effort to expand representation and celebrate the contributions of artists historically marginalized within the art market. The event’s focus on pluralism and a “new vanguard” indicates a broader shift toward inclusivity.

Full Take

The launch of Conductor represents a strategic repositioning by Powerhouse Arts, signaling a shift away from simply facilitating existing market dynamics toward a potentially disruptive force within the New York art scene. The framing of the “Global Majority” as a distinct category is itself a pattern – a kind of bounded category – and likely serves to attract attention and frame the fair as addressing a systemic issue. The inclusion of Biennale artists points to a calculated attempt to leverage prestige and legitimacy. The emphasis on “historic barriers” suggests a framing of the art market as inherently biased, evoking a sense of grievance and injustice. This echoes ARC-0043 (Motte-and-Bailey) – presenting a relatively small initiative as a foundational challenge to a much larger, established system. The fact that the fair is built around “Special Projects” hints at a willingness to embrace experimentation and potentially disrupt conventional gallery models. Furthermore, the involvement of figures like Matteo Callegari, focused on ecological preservation within Indigenous communities, suggests a potential alignment with social justice narratives, a tactic frequently deployed – ARC-0024 (Ambiguity) – to broaden appeal. The fair’s stated commitment to “pluralism” is a rhetorical device intended to neutralize criticism by presenting itself as simply embracing diversity, a tactic often used to deflect deeper scrutiny of underlying power structures. The selection of artists for the Venice Biennale further amplifies this effect, suggesting a deliberate attempt to associate the fair with an elite, globally recognized institution. The paradigm driving this narrative is likely one of systemic injustice within the art world, combined with an aspiration for social and cultural change. Root causes could include centuries of colonial exploitation and ongoing racial disparities in access to resources and recognition. Implications include a potential shift in the artistic landscape, though the extent of this shift remains uncertain. There are questions about whether this fair will genuinely dismantle systemic barriers or simply operate as a performative gesture of inclusivity. The choice of names - Conductor - reinforces the idea of agency and direction within the art world, aiming to influence rather than simply observe. The fair’s success will depend on its ability to translate good intentions into tangible change. Bridge Questions: What metrics will be used to assess the fair’s impact on artists from the Global Majority? How can we ensure that initiatives like this are not co-opted by mainstream institutions? Counterstrike Scan: If a coordinated disinformation campaign were to target the fair, it might focus on portraying it as an elitist project, exploiting anxieties about cultural appropriation or claiming that the fair is simply pandering to contemporary social justice trends – a tactic that plays on existing skepticism and fuels outrage.

Sentinel — Likely Human

Confidence

This article provides a detailed overview of the upcoming Conductor: Art Fair of the Global Majority, presenting its aims, participants, and associated programming. While the writing style is clear and informative, subtle indicators suggest it is likely produced by a human journalist rather than an AI, primarily due to the nuanced descriptions and inclusion of specific artist details.

Signals Detected

Sentence length variance is moderate, with a mix of short and medium sentences – characteristic of human writing.

The text presents a detailed description of the art fair without strong, distinctive voice or passionate engagement. The framing of 'centering artists from the Global Majority' is straightforward.

Frequent use of transitional phrases ('moreover,' 'furthermore,' 'in addition') creates a somewhat predictable flow of information.

The mention of artists participating in the Venice Biennale adds a layer of connection to a well-known event, but lacks specific details regarding their selection or involvement.

Human Indicators

The article includes specific artist names and project details, demonstrating a focus on individual elements rather than broad generalizations.

Quotes from key figures involved (Powerhouse Arts President, Conductor Fair Director) provide context and elaboration on the fair's mission.