Australia’s premier art fair, Sydney Contemporary, in collaboration with MA Financial Group, returns to Carriageworks this September for its eighth edition.
From 5-8 September 2024, Sydney Contemporary will present works from 86 galleries, with a curated program featuring prominent industry figures.
Marking the debut of fair director Zoe Paulsen, the 2024 edition includes diverse programs for collectors and art and design enthusiasts. Artspace senior curator Talia Linz will oversee Installation Contemporary, showcasing large-scale artworks, while Friends with Strangers director Samantha Watson-Wood will curate Performance Contemporary. Following the success of last year’s panel discussions, Talk Contemporary will spotlight two strands exploring the intersection of art, design and architecture. Sydney Opera House curator of contemporary art Michael Do has curated the art talks around four themes: Weave and Weft: Art and Fashion, My Favourite Things: Collecting, Here and Now, Poetics, Politics and the Personal: A Method, and Performing Parallels: Moving Bodies in Art.
Australian Financial Review design editor Stephen Todd will moderate three discussions on architecture and design: The New Taste Makers on the Future of Collecting, New Frontiers in Interiors and Design, and How To Curate An Eye-Catching Interior. Panelists include gallerist Cassandra Bird, designers Fiona Lynch and Yasmine Ghoniem, architect Nick Tobias and artist Emily Medbury.
The eighth edition of Sydney Contemporary features 81 galleries under the new direction of fair director Zoe Paulsen.
Experience programs curated by Friends with Strangers director Samantha Watson-Wood, Australian Financial Review design editor Stephen Todd, and Artspace senior curator Talia Linz.
Explore new additions to the fair in 2024, including the Works on Paper sector and dynamic performances during Art Night.
This year’s event also expands the Works on Paper sector, featuring six major galleries for the first time. Sydney Contemporary fair director Zoe Paulsen says works on paper are a great starting point for new art buyers and a way for seasoned collectors to add diversity to their collections. “Works on paper are an exciting and critical part of our visual arts culture and are featured in major collections around the world, including making up nearly 90 per cent of the Tate Collection in the UK,” Paulsen adds.
During the Art Night and Friday Night programs, Sydney Contemporary will host music and performances. Highlights include a new performance honouring artist Sēini ‘SistaNative’ Taumoepeau, curated by Linz, and Kid Contemporary, led by artist Lara Merrett.
Sydney Contemporary founder and co-owner Tim Etchells says the fair provides the most concentrated week of art sales in Australia annually. “As Australia’s premier art fair, we provide a significant boost to the art market annually and take our role of further developing and supporting the sector seriously.”