Over 80 galleries from Australia and abroad are packing their bags, as Sydney Contemporary closes for 2013. The Fair was a phenomenal success in its first year, attracting thousands of visitors, with a vibrant atmosphere of mutual purpose – that is, to see and appreciate great works of art.
There was a terrific turnout of Australian galleries, heavily favouring Sydney and Melbourne, but with a healthy showing of artists and collectives from the other states and territories. Significant this year, and certainly boding well for the future of the Fair, was the high level representation from international galleries. de Sarthe Gallery (Hong Kong), Paragon (London), Starkwhite (Auckland), 10 Chancery Lane Gallery (Hong Kong), and Sundaram Tagore Gallery (New York, Hong Kong and Singapore) all presented stunning displays, to name just five of many international galleries to grace our shores for the event.
de Sarthe Gallery, located in Beijing and Hong Kong, hosted a substantial collection in their booth, featuring the work of gallery artists Chen Zhen, Jenny Holzer, Barbara Kruger, Lin Jingjing, Richard Long, Mariko Mori, Bernar Venet, Wang Guofend, Zhao Jinhe and Zhou Wendou. Adorning an entire wall was Gilbert and George’s Chained Up (2001), with the stunning Deep Sleep Series by Chen Zhen covering the adjacent space. A standout work was to be found on the wall that follows the Carriageworks pathway – an enormous reworked world map entitled In fact, We All Live on an Isolated Island by Zhou Wendou.
The feature piece of London publisher Paragon’s booth was a series of 15 etchings by British-based artist Anish Kapoor. History covered one wall of the space; an atmospheric, dark collection of individual works, with Kapoor’s Shadow V series lingering close by. Also to be found in the Paragon collection was one of the big international drawcards of the Fair, featured heavily in Gow Langsford’s booth – two of Damien Hirst’s infamous dot paintings. One of his vibrant Butterfly works could be found over at Gow Langsford, with the gallery also offering a collection of mugs and other Hirst paraphernalia for the eager public.
And so goes the first year of Sydney’s newest international art fair – a resounding success with a massive turnout of visitors, fantastic displays by the galleries, a terrific venue in Carriageworks, and a nice boost to Sydney’s arts credentials. The Art Almanac team had a brilliant time, and we look forward to seeing you all at the next event – who can wait another year!
Zhou Wendou, In Fact, We All Live on an Isolated Island, 2013, world map, aluminum board, edition of 3, 200 x 270cm
Anish Kapoor, Untitled from Shadow V Series, 2012, etching, series of 4 etchings in edition of 39, 72.4 x 96cm
