SYDNEY.- The United Kingdom’s largest artist-led contemporary art fair, The Other Art Fair, returns to Sydney for 2016 following its successful inaugural 2015 edition. The Fair attracted over 7,500 visitors during the four day fair enabling unrepresented artists to connect with collectors and sell their work.

Presented from 27-30th October, The Other Art Fair’s 2016 edition will showcase an expanded vision from newly appointed international Fair Director Laura Richardson including a move to Australia’s newest arts and cultural destination, ‘COMMUNE’ in Sydney’s Waterloo.

‘Making Art Fair’ is the theme for 2016 and symbolises the unique approach that the fair promises to deliver to its audience and artists. Richardson commented: ‘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 Other Art Fair will present 100 of Australia’s most talented emerging artists, chosen by a high profile local selection committee, which Richardson says ‘select artists based on their merit rather than experience, social status, gender, ethnicity or their financial position.’ The impressive 2016 selection committee of contemporary art experts is comprised of Ben Quilty (artist), Roslyn Oxley (Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery), Amanda Love (art consultant) and Leif Podhajsky (artist).

The first round of applications has resulted in the pre-selection of a diverse group of talented artists for The Other Art Fair including Celeste Wrona, Joe Helmore, Mark Collis, Sarah Beetson, Chrysa Koukoura, Martine Vanderspuy and Kirsten Jackson across varying disciplines including painting and illustration.

In a first for Australia, The Other Art Fair will add another dynamic to the Fair’s diverse approach to artistic genre through an unexpected partnership with Sydney tattoo artist Rhys Gordon of Little Tokyo. Known for his traditional Japanese tattooing, Rhys Gordon will collaborate with a soon to be announced Guest Artist to create tattoo works that challenge the traditional view of art, questioning permanence, value and ownership of contemporary art. The Other Art Fair will run an exclusive competition welcoming the general public to apply for 1 of 4 artworks drawn by the Guest Artist to be tattooed by Rhys on their body each day of the Fair.

In addition to the tattoo led art offering, The Other Art Fair will also host a well-known Australian guest artist offering fair visitors an opportunity to purchase a print created exclusively for the fair. Previously in London, The Other Art Fair has presented Tracey Emin and Martin Parr, so for Sydney they look forward to welcoming a prominent artist to be announced.

The Other Art Fair’s dynamic public program will include workshops, talks, VIP events and activities for kids and is presented in collaboration with multiple international partners including The School of Life, Eckerlsey’s and Winsor & Newton. Food and beverage options have been carefully curated to activate the COMMUNE space with Young Henrys returning to host The Other Art Fair bar alongside Archie Rose and Urban Winery and coffee is in the expert hands of the team from Espresso Di Manfredi. For the sweet tooth, Black Pantry will be on site to provide handcrafted marshmallows and toasting stations to create your very own smores unlike any marshmallow you have tasted.

The Other Art Fair is presented in partnership with Major Partner, BresicWhitney who are running their own People’s Choice Award to acknowledge outstanding participating artists. Artists will be selected by the audience of The Other Art Fair, who also have a chance to win the artwork they vote for and the winner of the People’s Choice Award will be awarded a cash prize to the value of $5000. The exclusive Hotel Partner, The Old Clare Hotel are offering discounted room rates for friends of The Other Art Fair and the campaign’s design is led by Creative Director Anthony Donovan.

The Other Art Fair, founded by Ryan Stanier in 2011, is a pioneering platform for emerging artistic talent that has since seen 12 editions presented in London and Bristol, with artworks offered for sale from as little as $100. The four-day event will attract a diverse audience and act as a valuable and fresh space for unknown names to reveal their skill in the contemporary art world. For many artists, The Other Art Fair has been a springboard to new opportunities including connecting with new collectors and finding representation with international galleries.

‘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.’ Fair Director, Laura Richardson