Pushing the Boundaries: Introducing the SEB Discovery Award

Beyond the traditional booth

Over the years, Market Art Fair has provided a platform for galleries to experiment with ambitious presentations that sit outside the conventional booth format. From monumental sculpture and installation to site-specific works, these projects are often what makes a lasting impression from the fair.

Recent editions have offered several memorable examples. Swiss-Danish gallery von Bartha made its first appearance at Market Art Fair in 2023 with a booth comprising solely of Superflex’s freestanding neon sculpture “We are having the time of our lives”. In 2025, emerging Danish gallery aaaa nordhavn presented a monolithic sculpture by Gustav Gaston, a bold move that received praise by several art critics. That same year, Coulisse presented a site-specific fountain by Fabian Bergmark Näsman, a work that has since found a permanent home in the courtyard of Liljevalchs Konsthall.

One particularly striking example came at Market Art Fair 2026, when London-based gallery Season 4 Episode 6 presented Finnish-Swedish artist Benjamin Orlow in a focused presentation centred around a single large-scale sculpture.

Orlow was one of three artists representing the Nordic countries at the 2026 Venice Biennale, making Market Art Fair an opportunity to encounter his work outside the institutional context of the Biennale and at an important moment in his career.

For gallerist Jacob Barnes, the presentation was precisely about creating that shift in context.

“The presentation was a chance to give Benjamin’s body of work a focused platform outside of the Venice context. Benjamin remains incredibly passionate about his native Nordic context, and being able to share in his big moment with the region felt both special and productive for the work he was making before and after.”

For Barnes, out-of-the-box presentations are not marginal to the art-fair experience. Rather, they are becoming increasingly important.

“I think we need experimental, conceptual and non-commercial presentations at art fairs more than ever. It’s a space for discovery, socialization, and relationship development that may not be immediately realized in sales.”

He sees these kinds of presentations as a way of engaging audiences who may be encountering an artist or gallery for the first time, and of creating experiences that remain with them beyond the fair itself.

“These are the booths that people tend to remember, and be excited about. They bring an excitement and risk that is ultimately the thing that brings many people to art.”

For galleries considering an ambitious presentation, Barnes’ advice is straightforward:

“Run your program and don’t apologize for it – whether in the gallery or at a booth, this is how the public will engage with you, so give them something interesting.”

For the young London gallery, which has an international programme, fairs and exhibitions are opportunities to place artists in new contexts and connect with new audiences. Barnes also sees Stockholm as a place where those connections can develop.

“Our primary reason for being at Market Art Fair was to engage with institutions. Given Benjamin Orlow’s major new commission for the Nordic Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, this was strategically important, and we had promising conversations with several Nordic institutions.”

“Beyond that, Market Art Fair felt like the place to be. The fair’s programme also gave us a great sense of the network of galleries and institutions in Stockholm – such as Moderna Museet, Bonniers Konsthall, and Sven-Harrys Konstmuseum – all of whom are now on our radar in a way that they weren’t before.”

Season 4 Episode 6’s presentation is an independent example of the kind of ambitious thinking that can make an art-fair encounter memorable. It is not connected to the SEB Discovery Award, but illustrates the wider spirit of experimentation and discovery that the new initiative seeks to encourage.

Making room for discovery

The SEB Discovery Award builds on this spirit, removing the cost barrier that can make ambitious fair presentations difficult to realise while extending the opportunity well beyond the physical booth. As part of a dedicated Discovery programme, the selected project will also receive introductions to leading Nordic curators, institutions and private collectors, as well as inclusion in Market Art Fair’s public programme and editorial coverage across the fair’s communication channels.

For Sara Berner Bengtsson, Director of Market Art Fair, the award is a way of creating more space for risk-taking and experimentation.

“I long to see more cutting-edge artworks and bold presentations at art fairs. Many of the ambitious galleries and artists I meet are held back by the financial risk of participating in a fair. With the SEB Discovery Award, we want to remove some of those obstacles and make room for something unexpected.”

She also sees the initiative as part of Market Art Fair’s broader role within the art scene.

“As an art fair, we want to use our position and network not only as a place for commerce, but also as a platform for creating opportunities for the art scene.”

For SEB, the initiative reflects a long-standing engagement with art and culture. Since becoming Lead Partner of Market Art Fair in 2023, SEB has continued to support  contemporary art, alongside its own substantial collection of works by Nordic artists.

“At SEB, we have always been inspired by people who think independently and find new ways forward. We see that drive in the art world. Through the SEB Discovery Award, we want to support artists and galleries willing to take risks, challenge perspectives and give us new experience,” says Linda Jansdotter Larsson, Head of Marketing at SEB Wealth & Asset Management.

The SEB Discovery Award turns this commitment into action, while inviting new ideas about what the art fair format can become, and what possibilities it can offer artists, galleries and audiences.

Applications for the SEB Discovery Award are open until October 21, 2026. Galleries of all nationalities are welcome to apply, and there is no application fee.

Read more and apply here

Season 4 Episode 6 will open a solo exhibition with Fergys Feehily on September 12, 2026, at 96 Roberts Street, London.

Learn more about SEB and their commitment to art and culture here.