Sydney Contemporary 2025: Art Fair Extravaganza

By Julian McKinnon

Lisa Reihana’s ANZAC at the entrance to the Carriageworks.

Sydney Contemporary is the largest art fair in Australasia. Running from Wednesday 10th  September to Sunday 14th, the 2025 edition showcased over 110 galleries with work on view by over 500 artists. The majority of showings were from Australian galleries and artists, though a healthy contingent from Aotearoa were involved. Sydney Contemporary has the same ownership and management team as Aotearoa Art Fair, and the two fairs have become increasingly integrated. This spirit of trans-Tasman cooperation was immediately evident on arrival, with Lisa Reihana’s dazzling ANZAC adorning the entranceway to the venue. This enormous, shimmering installation was presented by Sydney-based Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert, and made an immediate visual impact.

Carriageworks Sydney is a stunning venue. Built in the late 1800s, it served as a manufacturing and maintenance site for locomotives for the city’s burgeoning railways. Now, it is an arts centre, and the well-established home of Sydney Contemporary. I arrived in the afternoon of Tuesday 9th, the day before the fair opened, to install artworks for Auckland gallery Sanderson Contemporary. Gallery Director Lydia Cowpertwait had read the tone of the fair expertly, presenting a well-curated offering of artworks by NZ artists Loren Marks, Kate Van der Drift, Ray Haydon, and Karyn Taylor.

Sanderson Contemporary - works by Loren Marks (left), Karyn Taylor (centre), Kate van der Drift (right) and Ray Haydon (near right).

The installation period, often unseen by the public, is a feat of logistical complexity. All of the galleries assemble their booths simultaneously under very tight time constraints. The venue bustles with gallery staff and technicians all decked out in high-vis vests amid a whirl of crates, tools, and artworks. Within the urgency, there was a spirit of cooperation and collegiality. Coming from across the Tasman, I had brought a small toolkit, but obviously no ladder. It took only a few brief conversations about borrowing one before offers were rolling in. Installation went smoothly, and Sanderson was one of the sharper-looking booths at the fair. The hustle of installation eventually quietened as the great halls of the Carriageworks were transformed.

Outside Sydney Central Station on opening night.

On the opening night, the skies opened and Sydney was struck by a torrential downpour. Streets became rivers. This made the entranceway more chaotic than it otherwise would have been. Mountains of soggy umbrellas appeared inside the doors as drenched fair goers offloaded them – good luck finding your own one on the way out! Despite the weather, the crowds turned out in force and the extravaganza began.

While art’s coexistence with commerce is sometimes uneasy, art fairs are fundamentally commercial events. An individual gallery will spend many tens of thousands of dollars on booth hire, freight, staffing, accommodation and marketing for the event. Similarly, artists commit significant resources to production, framing, packaging, etcetera to ensure that their work is ready for such a public showcase. Sales are essential. While artistic integrity and curatorial ambition are important, the commercial nitty-gritty is where the rubber meets the road. Gallerists seem well-aware of this, though some are prepared to take a short-term financial hit for the increased exposure of such a well-attended and publicised event.

Images from Mike Hewson’s Geopets at Michael Lett Gallery’s booth.

An inspired work of art fair magic was on display at Michael Lett Gallery’s booth. The Auckland dealer presented work by NZ born, Sydney-based artist Mike Hewson. Comprised of crate loads of assemblage sculptures called Geopets, Hewson’s exhibit offered a tongue-in-cheek play on the commercial nature of the art fair. The works were presented in conditions akin to a market stall and priced by the kilo. As the fair progressed, prices increased – though this wasn’t apparent at the outset. After fossicking through the geopets for half an hour, my partner and I found one we wanted to take home – we named it Rick the Brick, a delightful monster. It was weighed up and bagged and we took it with us, laughing as we went.

Rick the Brick.

Art fairs host a wide range of parallel events, both public and private. I was fortunate enough to get an invitation to an all-day event hosted by Gow Langsford Gallery. Besides being notable friends and neighbours of Artlink, the Auckland dealer has an enduring involvement with Sydney Contemporary spanning over 10 years. Gow Langsford has a long standing relationship with Australian artist Dale Frank; their booth at Sydney Contemporary 2025 was primarily a presentation of Frank’s high sheen Perspex and resin paintings, along with a taxidermy bull. In full view of the crowds entering the Carriageworks, Gow Langsford have one of the highest profile booths of the fair. Their presentation showcased the enduring commercial and aesthetic nous that the gallery is renowned for.

Works by Dale Frank at Gow Langsford Gallery’s booth.

The gallery took a group of lucky individuals to Frank’s home and studio – a vast property in rural New South Wales. The trip was a long haul, with a bus trip three hours in each direction, but worth the time. Frank is one of Australia’s best-known artists with significant international profile. He has produced a vast body of artworks, working prolifically since the 1970s. His house is highly idiosyncratic, with an astonishing array of taxidermy animals on display in an interconnected complex of parlours and sitting rooms. Intriguingly, there is no art on the walls. His studio, housed in a separate building, is another story. There are hundreds (probably thousands) of artworks stacked in hallways and back rooms. Some are archived, some are works in progress, some are completed works waiting to be shipped to his next show. Frank’s lead technician described the production processes, and how the artist works on a tight schedule preparing for numerous fairs and exhibitions around the globe. The production area was thickly layered in accumulated resin and pigment. This was an otherworldly environment - incredibly productive, probably highly toxic, and unlike anything I had seen before. Dale and his team were generous hosts, putting on an elegant lunch in a sunny courtyard.

Inside Dale Frank’s studio.

Sydney Contemporary is a multi-day event, spanning almost a week. This allows repeat visits and opportunities to keep discovering more. One thing that stood out was the strength and depth of artworks by indigenous Australians on display across a large number of booths. Two presentations stood out in particular – Gumatj Language by the late Nyapanyapa Yunupingu, and Dawurr by Gaypalani Wanambi. Presented by D’lan Contemporary, a gallery specialising in First Nations artists, Nyapanyapa’s work was made up 45 individual paper sheets, each drawn and painted on in a unique configuration of gestural marks. The composite effect was simply magnificent. It was one of only a few works that I had to return to again and again, taking in more detail and nuance on each visit. Wanambi’s work was presented by Michael Reid Gallery. Comprised of etched road signs, the work was a dazzling, two-sided assemblage. With one side beautifully etched in mesmerising patterns and the other showing the road signage still with a hint of reddish outback dust Dawurr was ethereal and earthy all at once.

Gumatj Language by Nyapanyapa Yunupingu. Presented by D’lan Contemporary.

Gumatj Language by Nyapanyapa Yunupingu (detail).

Dawurr by Gaypalani Wanambi (front). Presented by Michael Reid Gallery

Dawurr by Gaypalani Wanambi (rear with gallery staff).

Another gallerist was proudly representing Aotearoa for the tenth year running. Paul Nache Gallery’s irrepressible Director ‘Matty from Gizzy’ presented a stunning body of work by Tamaki Makaurau artist Peata Larkin. The work was laid out in an immaculate geometric configuration, with a stunning painted light box as a centrepiece. Larkin’s poise along with Matt’s boundless enthusiasm made the gallery’s space one of the more engaging sites to visit. That Nache has run a successful international contemporary art gallery from Gisborne – remote even by New Zealand standards -  is testament to his unique blend of charisma, determination, and profound interest in art.

Peata Larkin, Mahuika. Presented by Paul Nache Gallery.

Everything wrapped up on Sunday evening. Exhausted gallerists and their teams packed out in the same tightly organised manner as the set up. I was promptly kicked out for forgetting my high-vis vest (everyone had been fairly warned so I can’t complain). I left with a sense of a highly accomplished event. The fair was a vibrant, teeming celebration of art, artists, and commerce. It was  also a great excuse for an excursion to Sydney. I will definitely be back.