Behind the Booth: The Hidden Choreography of Art Fair Logistics

Sonja Kappenburg, Director, Gander & White Paris

At every major art fair – from Frieze London to Art Basel Paris, Paris Photo, and Art Basel Miami Beach – visitors encounter pristine booths, with artworks that seem effortlessly in place. But behind that calm façade lies a finely tuned logistical choreography. Each fair is a temporary city of creativity, and moving it into existence requires precision, planning, and a deep respect for the art itself.

For our teams at Gander & White, who have supported galleries and artists at fairs across three continents for decades, installation week is where experience and adaptability meet. Every venue, whether the Grand Palais here in Paris, or the Miami Beach Convention Center, poses unique challenges: narrow access points, strict time windows, and the unpredictable timing of international shipments. A delay of even a few hours can ripple across an entire build schedule.

The work begins months before the first crate arrives. We collaborate closely with galleries to design the logistics plan – mapping customs clearance, transportation routes, storage contingencies, and installation sequences. But even the best-laid plans must flex. Flights are delayed, weather shifts, crates arrive with last-minute condition reports. Our teams often work through the night so that, come VIP Day, everything appears seamless.

At Frieze London, for example, the transformation of Regent’s Park into a temporary cultural landmark requires the coordination of hundreds of trucks, technicians, and handlers operating within tight curatorial and environmental constraints. Each booth is a bespoke installation; one gallery may need delicate wall-mounted works positioned to millimetric precision, and another may be reconstructing an artist’s studio environment. Timing is everything.

At Art Basel Paris, located in the heart of the city, we face the added complexity of operating in dense urban surroundings. Access is limited, and schedules overlap with those of major museums and institutions also preparing exhibitions. Coordination with local authorities and fair organisers is vital to keep traffic flowing and deadlines met. Meanwhile, Art Basel Miami Beach brings different variables – heat, humidity, and the challenge of moving monumental sculptures across the Atlantic. One year, our Miami team managed the arrival of a large Calder sculpture flown in one piece, ensuring it reached its booth before construction walls closed the route forever.

Each artwork demands its own choreography. Hanging a fragile work on paper requires the same attention and teamwork as installing a ten-metre-high sculpture suspended from a ceiling. Safety, conservation standards, and precision underpin every step. What unites all of these projects is trust – between shipper, gallery, artist, and fair.

When the doors finally open and the crowds pour in, the trucks have vanished, the crates are gone, and the logistics fade into the background. That invisibility is our success. The atmosphere that visitors experience is only possible because, behind the scenes, a dedicated network of art handlers, technicians, and project managers has performed a seamless dance of timing, strength, and care.

At Gander & White, we take pride in making the impossible look effortless – ensuring that, wherever the fair may be, every artwork arrives, installs, and shines exactly as it should.