What began as an independent space up a Windsor one-way street has grown into one of Melbourne’s most fearless hubs for contemporary and experimental art. Founded by Andy Dinan, MARS Gallery has spent over two decades operating on a simple but unwavering philosophy: trust the artists completely and never let the market dictate the vision. Having exhibited at Sydney Contemporary since its inaugural edition in 2013, the gallery has evolved alongside the Fair while remaining fiercely independent. We spoke with Andy about embracing the unexpected, bringing a timely message of “Radical Joy” to the 2026 Fair, and the gallery’s exciting new international expansion into North America.
Based in Windsor in Melbourne, MARS Gallery sits in a very specific pocket of the city’s cultural life. How does that Melbourne context shape what you choose to bring to Sydney Contemporary each year?
I never think of MARS being in Melbourne. I like to think we could have landed anywhere in the world, we just happen to be up a one-way street up the emerging end of Windsor. Being based in Melbourne has no input on what I bring to a fair. Instead, for context and curatorial themes of my shows, I look to the big issues of the world that my artists care about, or I left the content of my artists dictate the format of the shows we present.
Our stand at Sydney Contemporary is my way to send a curated art message out to the world – what I believe in, what I am seeing in the studios of my artists, who I believe need to be seen and collected NOW. This year I am bringing a show, Radical Joy. It’s a group show about how the world is in crisis and needs the radical act of joy NOW more than ever and I see artists telling their important stories with humour. Make no mistake, making genuine joy and laughter is a very considered and hard process by these artists. Nothing is left to chance in the works we will show at Sydney, they all lift you to another place through joy, beauty or laughter.
The Huxleys, Another Green World, 2026. Courtesy of the artists and MARS Gallery
MARS has been part of Sydney Contemporary since its very first edition. Looking across that decade, how has your approach to the Fair evolved as both the gallery and the broader Australian art scene have changed?
I think 10 years of showing at Sydney Contemporary has shown me that good collectors and curators are always looking, and good artists are always making, and the two over time will always find each other. MARS keeps turning and changing colour just like the planet! I think in the art world and the business world you need to keep moving. The minute you think you have the answers, the bucks or the strategy, the universe will stuff you up, so I like to think we keep evolving as our artists’ needs and wants do. I don’t worry too much about the larger art scene these days; we take MARS where we feel it should go. There are so many layers to the art world. I care passionately about artists and their work and it is the work I always come back to, no matter what.
MARS Gallery, Sydney Contemporary 2013. Photo: Jacquie Manning
Across the years at Sydney Contemporary, has there been a particular artist presentation or risk you took that felt like it really paid off, or changed how you think about fairs?
Over 24 years, MARS has now staged at over 29 local Australian fairs and 13 international fairs from Aotearoa to Photo London to Photo Paris to KIAF. For a decade, Sydney Contemporary has been an annual highlight. We are a small, tight, hardworking, earnest gallery showing emerging to mid-career artists and our approach is always the same—take risks and believe in our artists and their work. Collectors and institutions have always responded to that. I no longer see art fairs as an option in our exhibition calendar; they are an important essential of our year.
MARS has long supported experimental and new media practices. How has audience appetite for those kinds of works shifted in the fair environment since 2013?
I do believe fair attendees love seeing varied mediums and being challenged. I am lucky that most MARS artists work across many mediums and so I have a great selection of mediums to choose from. I never worry what the market or audience wants. I tried that and it didn’t make me happy, and MARS is not a shop. I simply show whatever the artist needs to show in whatever medium the artist works in. Real artists are going to make art with their unique voice, with whatever medium they want, and they must have the choice always to create what they want. I must show only what I believe in, it’s pretty simple.
MARS Gallery at Sydney Contemporary 2025.
As Sydney Contemporary marks its 10th edition, what feels most significant to you about having been part of its evolution from the early years through to now?
I have loved showing at Sydney Contemporary for the last ten years. There have been spills (who can forget when Daniel Agdag’s glass sculpture was knocked from a plinth by a backpack) to sell-outs to no sales. I have loved them all, been sick, been exhausted, and talked until I had no voice left. I would not have it any other way and am sure this fair will delight in 2026 yet again.
From the early years, Sydney Contemporary has been a fair that listened to what galleries wanted – where they wanted their stand, what they were promoting and why. It is two-way communication and that is so important to me in building my gallery.
Jenna Mae Lee, to gather to nourish to sustain, 2022-23, included in Sydney Contemporary Installation 2023
Looking ahead, what exhibitions, collaborations, or projects are you most excited about and what can audiences look forward to from the gallery in the coming year?
I have just signed an agreement for MARS Miami, which is truly exciting for me and the next international chapter of MARS. I have stayed close friends with many of our ex-staff and interns and Wided Khadraoui was an outstanding young gallerist who went on to work around the world and settled in Miami. It was a natural step then to offer Wided the opportunity to take MARS artists to the USA. I’ve always loved connecting people, ideas and places, and that’s really how Wided and I think about MARS Miami. For me, this is an opportunity to introduce Australian artists doing genuinely exciting, thoughtful, unexpected work and general cool shit to new audiences across North America. There is so much incredible practice happening in Australia that deserves to be part of a broader international conversation, and Wided will create those connections.
MARS is not simply a place that sells art. The MARS family see the gallery as a platform that creates opportunities for artists to meet collectors, curators, museums and collaborators, and for conversations to happen that might not otherwise have existed. Wided and I hope to build something collaborative and relationship-driven, creating long-term opportunities while sharing some of the most interesting voices coming out of Australia with audiences across North America. MARS Miami is a natural next stop for me.
Sydney Contemporary returns to Carriageworks from 3 – 6 September. Tickets are on sale now.
