Following a successful Sydney debut in June with more than $2.2 million in sales, Affordable Art Fair will return to Australia’s cultural capital this spring at its new home, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Featuring more than 40 Australian and international galleries, the Fair will showcase thousands of artworks from a mixture of emerging and established artists over four days. From contemporary oil paintings to life-size sculptures, there will be something to suit every taste, space and spend.
Uniting trusted galleries with avid aesthetes, the Fair aims to grow the art market, help people discover new artists and galleries, and demystify the conventional art buying experience with highly visible pricing.
Visitors will be able to browse and buy artworks, and have their prized pieces wrapped onsite, ready to be taken home as they leave. Art aficionados will discover something new each day with all works rotated as they sell.
A myriad of art forms will be available for purchase including painting, sculpture, photography and limited-edition prints. With something to suit all budgets, prices will start from $100 and cap at $10,000.
Affordable Art Fair’s Regional Managing Director Asia Pacific, Stephanie Kelly Gordine, says the role of the Fair is to connect its family of trusted galleries with a community of art lovers.
“After the incredible success of Affordable Art Fair Sydney earlier this year, we are delighted to bring our event back to Melbourne. Our artists have been busy in their studios, and we have thousands of artworks ready to find happy homes,” said Gordine.
“Now more than ever, we need to support our art ecosystem and the events industry to create those magical moments when people fall in love with art.”
Exhibiting galleries include the coveted Martinich & Carran on Victoria’s Surf Coast, Prahran’s Fenton & Fenton, Studio Gallery founded by Melbourne artist Kerry Armstrong, and all-female collective, Tits & Co.
Leading Australian online gallery Bluethumb will return for its second year with M Artist Collective making its Fair debut alongside JUMBLED and BlackCat Gallery.
London’s Rebecca Hossack Gallery (RHG) headlines the list of international galleries with The Gallery Eumundi travelling from Queensland. The full list of exhibiting galleries can be viewed on the Affordable Art Fair website.
Helping to springboard the careers of emerging artists, the Young Talent Victoria exhibition will offer five local creatives the chance to exhibit and sell new works to an excited and engaged audience.
All under the age of 35, Mark Chu, Liam O’Neil, Tegan Iversen and Miranda Smith will join the line-up for the first time, with Alice Oehr returning for a send year following her extraordinary success at the Fair’s Melbourne debut in 2019.
All artists are handpicked by Fair organisers with the aim of building their profiles and ultimately securing them representation by galleries and museums.
Alongside new and upcoming talent, visitors will be able to witness Artists in Action at the Creative Hub. Each day, a collection of Australian creatives will present a series of live works including awe-inspiring oil paintings, tranquil watercolours and a life-size Art ATM by sketch artist, Jackie Case.
A true family affair, the Children’s Art Studio will allow Mini Monets to create their own take-home masterpieces, and a special installation by Polish sculptor, Cezary Stulgis, will provide the ultimate mix of inspiration and intrigue.
Combining visual art, virtual space and technology, Dorsett Hospitality International and digital art studio, The Collective, will present a sophisticated augmented reality project, The Way We Dance. Led by choreographer Yuh Egami of the Hong Kong Ballet, visitors will experience a collection of virtual dances from artists around the world.
This year, the Fair has named The Torch as its official charity partner. For over ten years, The Torch has provided arts, cultural and arts industry support to Indigenous inmates in Victoria through its Indigenous Arts in Prisons and Community program. This partnership will mark the first time The Torch has exhibited its artists work at a public art fair, and the charity will receive 100% of all sales.
In 2019, Affordable Art Fair Melbourne welcomed over 10,500 visitors to connect with 53 galleries from both Australia and abroad. Over 1,000 artworks went to happy homes with $1.8m in art sales supporting galleries to grow their business and helping artists to make a living.
Affordable Art Fair Melbourne takes place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 1 – 4 September 2022. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: www.affordableartfair.com for details.
Image: Admiring painting by Tom Ferson of Young Talent exhibition – courtesy of Affordable Art Fair