Sydney Contemporary Art Fair 2022
After a covid-induced two-year hiatus, Sydney Contemporary is back — filled with new features and unseen artworks, the product of years of making.
Words: Emma-Kate Wilson
Something Good is Going to Happen by Louise Weaver. Courtesy of the artist & Darren Knight Gallery
Amount Everything There Are Things That I Don’t Want to See by Nadia Hernández. Courtesy of the artist & STATION
Cosmic Powder by Jonny Niesche. Courtesy of the artist & 1301SW, Melbourne and STARKWHITE, Auckland & Queenstown
Alongside updated branding, fair features, and new design, yet the same Carriageworks in Redfern backdrop, Sydney Contemporary is back after a two-year break. This time has allowed artworks to develop and the fair to continue building on its strengths as the Southern Hemisphere’s largest contemporary art offering.
‘Carriageworks is such a great venue (all the international galleries say it’s the best venue for an art fair in the world), with open spaces but also nooks and crannies that will surprise with large-scale works,’ Sydney Contemporary Fair director Barry Keldoulis says. ‘I love a good museum exhibition of contemporary art, but they are years in the making.’
Sydney gallery Curatorial+Co’s director, Sophie Vander, muses on the platform for cutting-edge art. ‘As a gallery, the opportunity to present artists we believe so passionately into the Sydney Contemporary audience, an audience who are open-minded and hungry for the ‘new’, is electrifying,’ she says. ‘The value goes beyond profit, as [Syd Con] provides an environment where art, life and ideas can form and transcend across our wonderful arts community.’
‘There is such an explosion of creativity and ingenuity within the fair; curating our booth to sit and shine within so much beauty is an empowering challenge,’ Sophie continues.
The dynamic space of Carriageworks allows for dramatic installations, performances, and video works, all coming under the AMPLIFY programming. ‘We have over a dozen installations as part of our AMPLIFY sector, including works of video and projection, and ones made from traditional materials through to an AI work that generates a portrait by morphing painting and images of visitors to the fair,’ says Barry.
And I Could Drink Up Everything You Have by Patrick Dagg. Courtesy of the artist & James Makin Gallery
Piccolo 2022 by Jeremy Anderson. Courtesy of the artist & C.Gallery
Undercurrent by Peta Clancy. Courtesy of the artist & Dominik Mersch Gallery
Untitled, #2-75, 1990-91, from the series Paris Opera Project by Bill Henson. Courtesy of the artist & STARKWHITE, Auckland & Queenstown
“It’s always exciting to give artists the opportunity to express themselves at scale and for performance artists to reach a wider audience.”
Inner Architecture Moment: You, Take a Breath and Start Again by Juz Kitson. Courtesy of the artist & Dominik Mersch Gallery
Backdrop for Base Matter by Mikala Dwyer. Courtesy of the artist & Courtesy of the artist & Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery
“Sydney Contemporary inspires a sense of boldness, a desire to rethink how we can curate for new audiences and challenge ourselves and our artists to think outside the galley ‘box’.”
Dibirdibi Country by Mirdidingkingathi Jawarnda Sally Gabori. Courtesy of the artist & Alcaston Gallery
This year, AMPLIFY is curated by Annika Kristensen, the Visual Arts Curator at Perth Festival and Associate Curator at Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA), featuring art from Peta Clancy, Mikala Dwyer, Claire Healy & Sean Cordeiro, Vincent Namatjira, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran and others.
‘Amidst the atmosphere and hustle of the art fair, the works for AMPLIFY serve as interstices or interruptions, offering moments of curiosity, whimsy, exuberance, respite, and reflection,’ Annika says.
Also joining the ‘events’ is the children's programming, including one by Sydney-based artist Nadia Hernandez. Nadia’s work reflects on her own childhood in Venezuela, using vibrant colours and a bold graphic style that often appeals to a younger audience for joyous and welcoming aesthetics.
‘I will be presenting It’s time for Sancocho! for Sydney Contemporary’s Kid Contemporary program,’ she says. ‘It will be a workshop where kids of all ages will get to craft a beautiful and fun paper mobile with the ingredients, they would add to their Sancocho, a delicious and hearty broth/soup/stew, typical to many Latin American countries.’
In her workshop, the artist hopes people have fun while being inspired to make their version of Sancocho at home. Nadia sneakily adds, ‘I might even consider providing a secret family recipe for the actual dish during the workshops, only available to people reading this.’
With a challenging couple of years behind us, the benefits of coming together are seen in the enthusiasm of the galleries and their artists, collectors and the art-loving public. As Barry concludes, ‘I think when it suddenly wasn’t there, all these people realised what a wonderful ‘gathering of the whole clan’ the fair is, and they missed it dearly.’
As a special offer for our readers: receive 15% off Sydney Contemporary Art Fair opening night, Friday night and adult day tickets.
Use Promocode: HUNTERFOLK15
Valid from 18 July – 4 Sept
