SYDNEY.- Explore Sydney Contemporary, the digital edition of Australasia’s premier art fair, Sydney Contemporary, in partnership with MA Financial Group, launches this week on 11 November with approximately 1,700 artworks on a custom dynamic digital platform. The ten day online fair runs until 21 November and will feature 80+ galleries presenting over 500 artists as well as a program including a series of First Nations artist video portraits, and a keynote panel discussion titled After Shocks: Art, Disruption and Provocation. New works will be released to the platform midway, on 17 November.

Visitors to the site will be greeted by a specially commissioned animation by internationally acclaimed Melbourne-based artist David Booth (Ghostpatrol), who will also present work with Blackartprojects (Melbourne) and Hugo Michell Gallery (Adelaide).

Highlight presentations include Auckland’s STARKWHITE, in partnership with leading Los Angeles gallery 1301PE, exhibiting works by American artists Petra Cortright, Pae White and Thai artist Rikrit Tiravanija in conjunction with the opening of their new gallery in Melbourne; new work by sculptor Nuha Saad at Galerie Pompom; Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert presenting work by leading artists Sally Smart and Marion Borgelt, alongside functional artist Michael Gittings; a new collection of paintings and ceramics by renowned artist Joshua Yeldham at Arthouse Gallery; 15 new drawings by Rhys Lee at Nicholas Thompson Gallery; Australian artists Michael Zavros, Gregory Hodge and Maria Fernanda Cardoso at Sullivan+Strumpf; and new major works by Reko Rennie at KRONENBERG MAIS WRIGHT. APY Art Centre Collective are celebrating a strong line up of artists including Sally Scales, Beverly Burton and Kukika Adamson. Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery will also present new works by Tom Polo, Renee So, David Noonan and Linda Marrinon; Michael Bugelli Gallery (Hobart) has commissioned series of 22 drawings by artist Isabella Maria Foster and Michael Lett will present a solo exhibition of new paintings by Stella Corkery.




Other leading galleries exhibiting at the Fair include Sydney’s CHALKHORSE, Darren Knight Gallery, Dominik Mersch Gallery, Fine Arts, Sydney, Martin Browne Contemporary, Michael Reid, OLSEN, The Commercial and Yavuz Gallery, as well as Melbourne's Alcaston Gallery, Neon Parc, Niagara Galleries, and THIS IS NO FANTASY. From New Zealand, Gow Langsford Gallery, Sanderson Contemporary, with PAULNACHE from Gisborne. Brisbane’s Edwina Corlette and newcomers ILEANA and Onespace Gallery will present works on the platform as well as GAGPROJECTS from Adelaide with an all-female artist line-up.

Galleries presenting their Explore Sydney Contemporary exhibitions in their spaces during the ten days include: Curatorial+Co, Darren Knight Gallery; Gallery 9; Galerie pompom; Nanda/Hobbs; OLSEN; Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery; Sullivan+Strumpf; Sabbia Gallery; Saint Cloche from Sydney; James Makin Gallery in Melbourne; Bett Gallery in Hobart; and Onespace in Brisbane.

The fair provides crucial support for the arts community and will be headlined by a keynote panel discussion titled After Shocks: Art, Disruption and Provocation focused on leading institutional structural change and embedding new perspectives in the arts sector. At a time of profound social, cultural, and political transformation the discussion, held via Zoom on 16 November at 1pm AEDT, considers how contemporary art and cultural spaces are being shaped by decolonial practices, greater equity and direct action. Speakers include artist Tony Albert, curator and writer, Laura Raicovich and Jarrod Rawlins, Director, Curatorial Affairs, Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), Natasha Bullock, Assistant Director, Curatorial and Programs at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA), and will be moderated by Executive Director, Artspace, Alexie Glass-Kantor. Presented in partnership with Artspace and supported by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund.

Alongside the keynote, UNTOLD is a series of First Nations artist video portraits created for Explore Sydney Contemporary that bring to life the language, Country and stories of some of the First Nations artists represented in the online fair, including Dr Christian Thompson AO, Tony Albert, Karla Dickens, Jemima Wyman, Noŋgirrŋa Marawili, Jenna Lee and Regina Pilawuk Wilson. Giving a window into the artists’ practice, culture, and ideas as they share their work in their own voice, UNTOLD is curated and produced by Agency Projects, and supported by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund.

Barry Keldoulis, Fair Director of Sydney Contemporary, said: “We are thrilled to launch Explore Sydney Contemporary this week, featuring more than 500 artists and 1,700 artworks. The site is a dynamic experience for visitors, who are welcomed with a commissioned digital work by David Booth before diving in to discover the wider suite of works on offer. I’ve been so impressed by the number of new artists I’ve discovered while perusing Explore. Our UNTOLD series of First Nations artist video portraits is a highlight and will provide a deeper dive into the artistic practice of some of the Indigenous artists. We’re proud to be continuing our support of the arts community, helping to drive sales that will benefit artists and their galleries.”