General Programme | Swab Barcelona 2026
Swab presents a new edition of its General Programme, responding to the current dynamics of contemporary art. This year's selection of galleries and spaces reflects a broader shift: the boundaries between established galleries and independent initiatives are becoming increasingly blurred, while practices once considered peripheral now occupy a central place in contemporary artistic narratives, where questions surrounding access to contemporary art have taken on renewed significance.Artist-run spaces, emerging galleries, and experimental initiatives continue to operate at the margins of a market that, in recent years, has increasingly concentrated around major players. Yet it is precisely these projects that are shaping new directions within contemporary discourse: they embrace risk, propose alternative models of sustainability in new contexts, and critically expand the boundaries of what an art fair can encompass.
Marc Larré. ethall (Barcelona). Fotografía por Óscar Morales Navarro.
For this edition, observing these phenomena as guiding principles invites us to contribute to a new balance between the market and artistic creation. Commercial galleries are exploring increasingly experimental paths, while independent spaces seek greater engagement with the market; it is precisely within this convergence that they come together. Swab positions itself as that meeting point: an ecosystem of multiple scales where the exchange of experiences and perspectives among diverse actors contributes to building a stronger, more plural, and more sustainable art circuit.In this context, all participants will share a common exhibition space, with stands adapted to different formats and modes of presentation. This configuration reflects the market model that Swab seeks to foster: one that embraces diversity of scale and approach, where independent and experimental initiatives engage in direct dialogue with the commercial circuit, creating encounters in which these perspectives find both a voice and a place within the contemporary art market.
The galleries participating in the General Programme are:
200CENT + Fundació Uniques (Barcelona)
Abbozzo Gallery (Canada)
ADN Galería (Barcelona)
Art Agenda (Jakarta)
Azotea (Argentina)
Batec (Valencia)
Bacio (Switzerland)
BETA Contemporary (Barcelona)
CRUX (Ireland)
Cry Baby (Canadá)
Dilalica (Barcelona)
ESCAT Gallery (Barcelona)
EtHall (Barcelona)
EXs (Barcelona)
FOC (Barcelona)Halfhouse (Barcelona)
Letravia + ONEART Gallery (China)
Les Pralines (Switzerland)
L'Espace Annexe (Switzerland)
Malpais (Barcelona)
MATTER (Japan)
Northing Space (Norway)
Palmadotze (Barcelona)
Rocio Santa Cruz (Barcelona)
Tha House (Madrid)
Tiger Strikes Asteriod (United States)
Ventana Project (Spain/Germany)
Wach Kunstraum (Germany)
Weeseeitems (Georgia)
Widefield (Switzerland)