Images: © Raphael Fasching / SPARK Art Fair 2025
A new auction format
within the context of the art fair
The art market is undergoing a period of transformation and calls for new forms of art mediation. SPARK Art Fair Vienna represents an innovative fair concept that actively engages with the challenges of the contemporary art market.
ARTCARE, a platform for contemporary, emerging art and a registered auction house, is participating in SPARK Art Fair and, in collaboration with the fair organizers, has initiated the SPARK Art Auction 2026.
Together, we invite the participating galleries to contribute one to two works to the auction. Under the motto “sharing is caring,” a new, solidarity-based format is being created—one that fosters collaboration and sustainably strengthens the art market.
ARTCARE is responsible for the digital onboarding process, the preparation of the artworks, and the production of both a digital and a printed auction catalogue. The SPARK Art Auction combines a preceding online auction phase with a live auction held during the fair. Based on ARTCARE’s auction platform, works.artcare.at, this format brings together fair presence, digital reach, and curatorial quality, opening up new pathways for art mediation and networking. In doing so, a shared model for sales and visibility is established for all participating galleries.
Online auction prior to the start of the fair
All works will be published on works.artcare.at four weeks prior to the start of SPARK Art Fair 2026. Bids can be placed early, enabling sales to take place even before the fair opens.
The starting prices are defined by the galleries, with 60–70% of the regular gallery price recommended. This approach generates early visibility and demand, while attracting a new circle of nationally and internationally oriented, digitally savvy collectors.
The live auction will take place on one of the fair evenings (provisionally Friday) and will be realized in a hybrid format, with an auctioneer on site and parallel online participation. All works are listed in the auction catalogue and online, including booth numbers and viewing locations. Ideally, bids from the online phase will already be in place and can be continued in the live auction format.
Live auction during the fair
Fair conditions & monetization
The SPARK Art Auction offers galleries the opportunity to generate revenue at an early stage, reach new collectors, and present their artists with simultaneous visibility across the fair, the online auction, and the live format—supported by a solidarity-based, forward-looking fair concept.
Participating galleries benefit from a clear visibility advantage: the works are presented over a four-week online auction period, promoted through the communication channels of SPARK Art Fair and ARTCARE, and showcased in a live auction during the fair. This multiple placement significantly increases attention for each work and complements the regular fair presentation with an additional, targeted sales channel.
The financial framework is transparent and clearly defined. In the event of a sale, 100% of the hammer price goes to the respective gallery. Buyers are charged a reduced buyer’s premium of 15% (instead of the usual 25–30%).
Additional sales opportunities
The auction complements the regular fair operations with an additional sales channel, including the possibility of sales already taking place prior to the opening of the fair. All submitted works remain visible online on the ARTCARE platform beyond the duration of the fair and continue to be accessible thereafter.
Erhöhte
Sichtbarkeit
ARTCARE and SPARK Art Fair take responsibility for the professional promotion of the auction through newsletters, targeted mailings to collectors, as well as social media and online communication. The works are also integrated into the official fair marketing.
This provides participating galleries with added marketing value without any additional effort or costs.
for
bidders & visitors
Registered users receive a 50% discount on fair admission. Visitors who place an online bid are granted free entry. The aim is to increase fair attendance, extend the duration of visits, and enhance the likelihood of sales—for all exhibitors.
New
collectors & leads
The aim is to make registered bidders—while fully complying with GDPR regulations—available to galleries as qualified leads, representing a key added value compared to traditional auction formats.
SPARK ART FAIR X ARTCARE
The SPARK Art Auction 2026 brings together digital and analog forms of art mediation, creates new sales opportunities for galleries, and reaches new collectors even before the fair begins. This hybrid auction format is conceived as a forward-looking model that can serve as a blueprint for future collaborations and international art fairs beyond 2026.
The deadline to participate in the SPARK Art Auction 2026 is February 5, 2026.
Galleries that register by this date will be included in the printed auction catalogue.
Registration is generally still possible up until the start of the fair; however, in this case the gallery will not be included in the printed catalogue and will not benefit from full integration into the pre-marketing activities and the online auction lead-in phase.
SPARK X ARTCARE
%20Raphael%20Fasching.jpg)
Solo Exhibition
20. – 22. MARCH 2026
MARX-HALLE
1030 VIENNA
SPARK ART FAIR 2026
SPARK ART FAIR X ARTCARE
For any questions, the teams at ARTCARE and SPARK Art Fair are happy to assist you at any time.
office@artcare.at
exhibitors@spark-artfair.com
The deadline to participate in the SPARK Art Auction 2026 is February 5, 2026.
Galleries that register by this date will be included in the printed auction catalogue.
Registration is generally still possible up until the start of the fair; however, in this case the gallery will not be included in the printed catalogue and will not benefit from full integration into the pre-marketing activities and the online auction lead-in phase.