Timed to coincide with Frieze Week, Esther III transforms New York Estonian House into a free, artist-led alternative fair spanning installations, performances and international gallery projects.
Esther III, the alternative art fair founded by Margot Samel and Olga Temnikova, will return to New York for its third and final edition from May 12th–16th, 2026, taking over the historic New York Estonian House.
Timed to coincide with Frieze New York 2026, Esther III continues to position itself as a looser, more experimental counterpoint to the traditional art fair model. Spread across the building’s intimate and idiosyncratic interiors, the fair brings together 22 international galleries from 10 cities, presenting a mix of artworks, site-specific installations, performances and events—all free and open to the public.
Rather than uniform booths, Esther leans into the character of its setting, encouraging projects that respond to the architecture and atmosphere of the Estonian House. This year’s edition also foregrounds a number of artist-led interventions and collaborative works that blur the boundaries between exhibition, performance and social space.
Among the highlights is chairchairchair, a functional seating project by Houston Parke and Isaac Haseltine, assembling discarded materials sourced from New York sidewalks into sculptural furniture—an irreverent nod to readymade traditions and urban reuse. Multidisciplinary artist Kris Lemsalu returns in her recurring role as the “Playboy of the Estonian House,” accompanied by Sugarlife, while Neanderthal Beauty Clinic, an installation by Madlen Hirtentreu and Darja Popolitova, examines the aesthetics and politics of contemporary self-care culture.
A ticketed dinner serving traditional Estonian cuisine will open the fair on May 12th, adding a convivial, communal layer to the programme.
Participating galleries include a strong mix of New York-based spaces and international exhibitors such as Margot Samel, Temnikova & Kasela, Kerry Schuss Gallery, Kate Werble Gallery, Silke Lindner and Thomas Erben Gallery, alongside international participants from London, Shanghai, Riga, Budapest, Montréal and beyond.
As New York’s art world converges for Frieze Week, Esther III offers a distinct proposition—one that privileges experimentation, informality and collaboration over scale, reaffirming the continued appetite for alternative formats within the global art fair landscape.
Esther III, May 12th–16th, 2026 New York Estonian House @esther.newyork
