The UK’s largest artist-led contemporary art fair, The Other Art Fair, will return to Sydney at the end of October, setting up for four days in Waterloo space COMMUNE.
Launching in 2015, the inaugural fair welcomed some 7,500 visitors during its run, allowing artists to connect with audiences and potential buyers. This year’s Sydney fair will feature 100 of Australia’s most promising emerging artists.
Newly appointed International Fair Director Laura Richardson said: ‘The Other Art Fair is specifically designed to breakdown the many barriers to entry for both artist and collector by perfectly bridging the gap to make it easier and more affordable to buy art. By purchasing art at the fair, visitors directly support emerging talent and contribute to growing the opportunities for undiscovered artists in Australia.’
The selection committee for 2016 comprises of artists Ben Quilty and Leif Podhajsky, art consultant Amanda Love, and Roslyn Oxley of the Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery.
This year’s theme is ‘Making Art Fair‘. Richardson says of the theme: ‘It is my goal to open up the art world to people from all walks of life. After all, art is subjective – you shouldn’t need a degree to have an opinion. I truly believe in making art fair.’
Although the full list of artists has yet to be announced, Celeste Wrona, Joe Helmore, Mark Collis, Sarah Beetson, Chrysa Koukoura, Martine Vanderspuy and Kirsten Jackson have already been pre-selected for inclusion.
A prominent Australian guest artist will also create a print available for exclusive purchase at the fair. Past events in London have featured the work of Tracey Emin and Martin Parr.
In celebration of the diverse range of artistic mediums that organisers are expecting to display, the fair has partnered with tattoo artist Rhys Gordon, from Bondi Junction studio Little Tokyo. Gordon will collaborate with a featured artist to create pieces that challenge traditional ideas of art ownership and permanence, with four members of the public winning the opportunity to have these works turned into tattoos.
Workshops, artist talks, and family events are also set to be scheduled for the weekend event, with a People’s Choice Award being run by major partner BresicWhitney.
The Other Art Fair will take place at COMMUNE, from 27th – 30th October .
For more information, please see the website.
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