AKAA, the contemporary African art fair, returns to the Carreau du Temple

AKAA (Also Known As Africa), a contemporary art and design fair, holds its 11th edition from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October 2026 at the Carreau du Temple, a former covered market in the 3rd arrondissement. It runs during Art Basel Paris week and focuses on African and Afro-descendant artists.

As of 9 October, the fair's website lists 39 exhibitors: Paris galleries such as Magnin-A, Vallois and Les Filles du Calvaire, and others from Cameroon, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Côte d'Ivoire, Guadeloupe and Mexico. You can talk to the gallerists here, and often to the artists.

New for 2026 is AKAA PHOTO, a section opened for the 200th anniversary of photography. The monumental installation goes to Senegalese photographer Gabriel Dia: his series Mother's Heritage, printed large on fabric, will hang in the space like clothes on a washing line, according to the fair.

Around the stands, Les Rencontres AKAA line up talks, screenings and one-to-one artist sessions. On Friday 23, the auditorium programme (entrance at 2 rue Perrée) is free with a booked ticket: a panel at 11am, the film Morna Blues at 2.30pm, La Noire de… at 6.45pm.

The fair opens 12pm–8pm on Friday and Saturday and 12pm–6pm on Sunday. Tickets are €16, €11 reduced, free for under-12s. The entrance is at 4 rue Eugène Spuller: Metro Temple (line 3) or République (lines 3, 5, 8, 9, 11).