Market Art Fair’s Selection Committee – Explained
An insight into the inner workings of the fair’s selection process.
Since it was established in 2006, Market Art Fair has built a reputation as the Nordic hub for serious art commerce, blending a curatorial approach with a friendly atmosphere.
The galleries participating in each edition of Market Art Fair are chosen by experienced museum directors and curators from the Nordic region who form the fair’s independent selection committee. The guiding principles for selection—quality of art, presentation, and relevance—ensure that exhibitors, whether established or emerging, prioritise bold artistic visions, making each edition of the fair feel forward-looking and vital. Proposals can feature Nordic artists, international artists, or a combination of both, provided they are supported by a strong curatorial vision.
This committee plays an integral role in maintaining the curatorial standard of the fair. As Lars Nittve, Chair of the Committee, explains: “For quite a number of years the selection committee consisted of gallerists choosing other gallerists. On paper this type of “peer-review” seems good – but over time it became clearer and clearer that it could be quite unfair and dysfunctional. Some seven years ago a new committee was established where prominent curators and museum directors, who are close to the art market, but do not have a stake in it, took over the responsibility for the selection.”
The 2025 selection committee consists of Marie Nipper, Director of ARKEN in Denmark; Pilvi Kalhama, Executive Director of EMMA – Espoo Museum of Art in Finland; and Magnus af Petersens, an independent curator and former Director of Bonniers Konsthall in Stockholm. The committee is chaired by Lars Nittve, Museum Director Emeritus, whose career includes founding Tate Modern as well as leading Moderna Museet, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, and M+.
The ambition behind the selection process is to gather some of the most respected curators and museum directors from across the Nordic region, ensuring a balanced geographical spread. As Nittve explains, “The members live and work in Sweden, Finland, and Denmark but also have professional experience from further afield. There is no fixed term for membership, but generally, the time period has been 3-5 years.”
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Market Art Fair 2024. Photo by Jean Lapin.
One of the defining features of this committee is the strict confidentiality that governs their meetings. “This means that members can speak their mind openly in the meetings, without what is said impacting their roles in their home countries. This is essential for an unbiased decision-making process,” Nittve explains.
“The selection process is multifaceted and includes several layers. We first review the applications independently and then gather to discuss each one,” says Pilvi Kalhama. “It is always interesting when our perspectives slightly differ. We engage in discussions about the concept and curation presented in the application, but also about the artist’s work and the gallery’s operations more broadly. We can even have a look at the galleries’ previous presentations at the fair. Each of us emphasizes slightly different aspects, and we come from different backgrounds.”
“But we also need to keep the selection open for things that we didn’t envision. That’s what keeps a fair relevant and interesting. Luckily, artists are very talented in delivering just that.”
Marie Nipper shares her perspective: “For me, it’s about the quality of the artist selection, the strength of the booth concept. I like to sense that the application has been given serious thought and that a spirit of curiosity, courage, and personal investment is present. And then, of course, I look at the relevance for the fair and the Scandinavian audience, as well as how the singular project adds to the total experience of the fair.” She continues, “The art and the galleries need to be of high quality, no doubt. And an affiliation with the Scandinavian art scene in some way. But we also need to keep the selection open for things that we didn’t envision. That’s what keeps a fair relevant and interesting. Luckily, artists are very talented in delivering just that.”
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Market Art Fair 2024. Photo by Jean Lapin. -
Market Art Fair 2024. Photo by Jean Lapin.
Magnus af Petersens elaborates on this approach: “It may sound vague, but I look for the quality of the artworks proposed. If the selection of artworks isn’t finished, I examine the quality of the artist’s work that I can find in the application first of all. Sometimes I also search the internet, or it’s someone whose work I know. Then there’s the curatorial concept for the presentation. This becomes even more important if there’s more than one artist in the proposal. It can also be interesting to consider the proposal in relation to the other proposals in the fair, if it brings something special to the mix, something that we think could add to the overall experience of visiting the fair.”
The visitor experience also plays a role in decision-making. “It’s never easy, but that’s the name of the game,” says Nipper. “I always try to have the whole fair experience in mind when making decisions. And then, aim to secure a range of different artists and artistic practices to be presented. Every year, we evaluate the fair and revisit our arguments for the selection of galleries, and I think this is important to self-evaluate so that we keep a high level of professionalism in the jury as well as the fair.”
Af Petersens agrees: “Sometimes, a good gallery that usually has high quality may make a proposal that is not up to their usual level. It’s the quality of the proposal that is the most important, I think, more so than the track record or reputation of the gallery. Because in the end, this is what will be presented at the fair.”
From the beginning, the fair has placed strong emphasis on solo, duo, or group presentations with clear curatorial direction. Kalhama reflects, “In the context of a fair, a profound solo presentation of an interesting artist is always an excellent choice. However, if a gallery presents multiple artists in a booth, I appreciate a curatorial concept where the works of the artists create a dialogue or engage with each other somehow.”
Ultimately, the committee’s role is not just about selecting galleries but about shaping a fair that remains fresh, forward-looking, and vital—one where artistic ambition and curatorial excellence set the tone for each edition.