With less than a month to go for Sydney Contemporary, the programs have been announced for Talk Contemporary and Create Contemporary, to be presented at Carriageworks, Australia’s largest multi-arts centre from 7 – 10 September 2023.

Australasia's premier contemporary art fair, Sydney Contemporary returns to Carriageworks this year with its largest edition to date featuring over 500 artists showcased by 96 emerging and established galleries from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Indonesia and Singapore.

Talk Contemporary’s engaging program of live conversations on art, design and architecture with a number of leading Australian creatives, will have two strands this year – one focused on art curated by Samantha Watson-Wood from Friends with Strangers, and another on architecture and design curated by design editor and commentator Karen McCartney.

Talk Contemporary

“This year's art conversations revolve around unpacking sexual identity and representation in the image, landscape painting as a political tool, uncovering female artists from leading creative minds, the effect of the selfie and important history of self-portraiture and how the arts reflect, predict and shape the future. This year I am excited about the rich and diverse conversations conducted by some of the most important and interesting thought leaders in our country," Watson-Wood said.

McCartney added, “The architecture and design talk series has a stellar line-up of panellists with topics that span art in the home and art in public spaces, how and what to collect, and how architecture and art intersect with designing for Country. We are really delighted by the range of artists, architects, interior designers and gallerists who have agreed to be part of the talk series – so we can guarantee stimulating, witty and informative discussions.”

Highlights of Talk Contemporary 2023:

Love, Sex and The Image

This talk will explore ideas around the muse, the male gaze and objectification, queer celebration, desire, love, shock and pleasure, othering and adoration. The panellists will endeavour to unpack the representation of our sexual identities, through the image. Speakers include Solomon Kramer, Dylan Mooney and Polly Borland. The talk is moderated by Samantha Watson-Wood.

The Selfie and Questions of Identity

On average, over 93 million selfies are taken each day in 2023. This talk will explore how the form of self-portraiture/ the selfie constantly moves through portrayal, subversion, exploration and straight narcissism. What purpose does the selfie serve and how has it affected our understanding of identity? Speakers include Jack Ball, Jenny Watson, and Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran. The talk is moderated by Sarah Rees, senior curator at the Powerhouse Museum.

Designing Spaces for Art

In this talk, three eminent architects are questioned on the challenges of designing spaces where art and objects are to be viewed, how the experience and expectation has changed and how they meet (and exceed) those demands. Speakers include William Smart, Smart Design Studio; Timothy Hill, Partners Hill; and Camilla Block, Durbach Block Jaggers. The talk is moderated by Karen McCartney.

Art + Interiors: Matching the couch is not a requirement

An interior designer, gallerist and art advisor discuss how they approach specifying art for interior projects, how they engage clients, what are the frequently asked questions, and what have been some of the most successful outcomes. Speakers include Martin Browne, Martin Browne Contemporary; Sarah-Jane Pyke, Arent & Pyke; and Kym Elphinstone. The talk is moderated by Stephen Todd.

Creatives at Home: How I Collect

A panel of creatives from the disciplines of architecture, interior design and art curation – who have gathered personal collections over time to reflect a strong, personal viewpoint – will tell the stories of their passion for collecting. Speakers include Hannah Tribe, Tribe Studio; David Flack, Flack Studio; and Ronan Sulich. The talk is moderated by Karen McCartney.

Designing with Country: Art and Architecture

What does it mean to embed a strong and meaningful sense of country in the places we design in Australia? This is discussed from a range of architectural and art perspectives to bring a greater understanding of what good outcomes look and feel like. Speakers include architects Huw Turner, Collins & Turner; Bernadette Hardy, Hardy & Hardy; and Samantha Rich. The talk is moderated by David Clark.

How to be the future

This talk looks at current social and political trends that question how art is represented in our galleries, institutions and events. After the turbulent times of the last few years, there is an uprise of issues including collection gender gap, de-colonial discourse, access, diversity and inclusion and the notion of care and empathy as a working practice. How does the art industry address this? Speakers include Michael Brand and Shari Sebben. The talk is moderated by Tony Albert.

Bow Down: A series of short interviews highlighting artists to whom, we should all bow down

In homage to Jennifer Higgie's Bow Down Podcast, a podcast uncovering significant women artists from the past, ABC executive producer Kalita Corrigan will sit with some of Australia's leading creative minds to delve into their favourite female artists. Speakers include Jess Scully and Anna Plunket. This talk is moderated by Kalita Corrigan.

From the Indigenous Voice to Futuristic AI

Editors of four of Australia’s major cultural publications will discuss how they are navigating current sensitive and topical issues in the Australian and global landscape. From the current national referendum on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, to a rising voice of a different kind – that of generative AI – how are these editorial voices navigating the complexities of the contemporary world and doing it with creative flair? Speakers include Una Rey, Erin Vink, Becky Hemus and Alison Kubler. This session is chaired by Katarina Kroslakova, Editor T Magazine.

Event highlights of Sydney Contemporary

Memphis Milano

Living Edge will return to Sydney Contemporary with Memphis Milano in their Edition space. Presented for the first time in Australia as a collective, the exhibition will showcase a captivating array of iconic furniture and objects from the renowned Memphis Milano design movement, which is characterised by bold colours, geometric shapes and whimsical patterns.

Create Contemporary

Create Contemporary is an immersive workshop and creative space for visitors of all ages to explore ways to unleash creative thinking through the power of mark-making. Presented by Eckersley's Art & Craft, the largest retailer of art, craft, and design supplies in Australia, the 2023 program introduces the Squiggla Making Space, encouraging adult visitors to rediscover the value of creativity in a fulfilled life, while families will experience joyful making time together using a wide range of tools and art supplies provided by Ecklersley’s Art & Craft.

Jasper Knight: The Coral Coast exhibition

Artist Profile magazine will return to the Fair as a Major Partner to present the exhibition Jasper Knight: The Coral Coast curated by leading independent Australian corporate curators, 3:33 Art Projects.

Art Money

Art Money’s dedicated booth will feature works by Lionel Bawden (Artereal Gallery), Ry David-Bradley (Sullivan+Strumpf) and Jack Langan Dunbar (COMA). Art Money will launch their Buyer’s Premium product, allowing Sydney Contemporary attendees to purchase artwork at the Fair and pay over time, instead of upfront.

Polestar

Swedish car company Polestar will appear at Sydney Contemporary for the first time in a dedicated area, to showcase both the recently launched 2024 version of Polestar 2, as well as the Australian debut of the Polestar Design Contest Exhibition. This annual event brings together student and professional designers from different backgrounds and locations to see what a more sustainable electric future could look like.

Event details

Sydney Contemporary will take place from 7 – 10 September 2023 at Carriageworks located at 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh NSW. The invitation-only Collector Preview will be held on Wednesday, 6 September, and Art Night, open to the general public, will be held on Thursday, 7 September.

Opening hours

Thursday 7 September: 11am – 5pm | Art Night: 5.30pm – 9pm

Friday 8 September: 11am – 8pm

Saturday 9 September: 11am – 6pm

Sunday 10 September: 11am – 5pm

For more information, please visit https://sydneycontemporary.com.au/.

Branko Miletic

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