Actually Good Word Art—and More Genre-Defying Decor at This Year’s FOG Design + Art Fair

This story is part of Fair Take, our reporting on global design events that looks up close at the newest ideas in fixtures, furnishings, and more.

The San Francisco Bay Area’s art and design community is tight-knit. The artists, designers, and architects living here all seem to know each other’s names. But every year in late January, the community opens its doors to an international audience for an art week that includes FOG Design + Art, an event that’s become one of the best on the West Coast for getting a pulse on contemporary art and design.

Held at Fort Mason Center overlooking the bay, FOG is beloved by locals, but more outsiders are starting to take notice. Its 11th edition features a hearty mix of hometown heroes and international newcomers, with 59 exhibitors from San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and farther-flung locales like Paris, Hong Kong, and South Africa.

Split across two piers with plenty of bars and lounges to break up the spaces (and fuel your wanderings), FOG is digestible in one visit, but will leave you feeling satiated. Photographer Cayce Clifford and I dove headfirst into the preview party and found surprising art and design objects across media and scale that highlighted a range of perspectives. Here’s what stood out at this year’s fair.

Kim Mupangilaï and Maris Van Vlack at Superhouse

Last year, FOG extended its footprint with FOG FOCUS, a showcase of emerging designers and galleries located on a neighboring pier. This year, it was once again buzzing with energy (which was at least partly fueled by cocktails), with a standout showing from New York’s Superhouse.