RETHINKING CRAFT: IN CONVERSATION WITH COLLECT DIRECTOR TF CHAN
London’s much-loved contemporary craft and design fair, Collect, returns to Somerset House from 27th February to 1st March. Presented by the Crafts Council, the fair has spent more than two decades championing craft and the artisanal movement in the UK and has long been a highlight of the city’s cultural calendar.
This edition is particularly notable as the first under the direction of new fair Director TF Chan. Visitors can expect to encounter work by more than 400 practitioners presented throughout the historic spaces of Somerset House by 40 specialist galleries and arts organisations from over 30 countries, including 14 new exhibitors in 2026. Just to name a few: House of Bandits (Sarabande Foundation), Gallery FUMI and Max Radford Gallery from London, Mia Karlova Galerie from Amsterdam, and WAJOY, from Kanazawa, Japan.
Materials span ceramics, glass, lacquer, jewellery, wood, textiles, metal and paper, often pushing traditional techniques in unexpected directions. Some works incorporate unusual materials such as oak leaves, denim, discarded shopping bags and moss, while others integrate digital technology into their making processes.
