Art Restart Podcast: Zero Art Fair
For more than a decade, conceptual artists Jennifer Dalton and William Powhida have
collaborated on sharp, often darkly funny critiques of the art world’s economic and
political machinery.
One of their earliest projects together, a satirical telethon staged during the Great Recession, planted a seed they later returned to: What would happen if you ran an art fair where every work of art was free? That question eventually evolved into Zero Art Fair, a real, fully functioning event that uses a radically different contract to redistribute both artworks and power within the art market.
In this interview, they explain how the Fair’s unconventional contract works, why prioritizing access for people who “need help to live with art” reshaped their process, and what kinds of unexpected relationships and ripple effects have emerged along the way.
Listen to the Zero Art Fair Episode
The Art Restart podcast is hosted by Pier Carlo Talenti and is produced by the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts.
Contact: Kenan Institute for the Arts
Jan. 8, 2026