With more than 100 galleries presenting work across painting, sculpture, photography, installations and more, Sydney Contemporary rewards curiosity. We asked the Editor of Art Collector to share a selection of the artists, booths and talks they’ll be making time for at this year’s Fair.
Image: Bridget Stehli, the innocent witch, 2025, 35.5 x 28 cm. Photo by Hamish Macintosh. Courtesy of the artist and Nasha Gallery.
Booths
At Futures
Bridget Stehli is a fresh voice that mines the kitsch of 1970s and ’80s pop culture producing work than more than earns its place in the Futures sector.
Photo: Bridget Stehli, The Holdout (detail), 2025, 140x170cm, Photo by Hamish Macintosh. Courtesy of Nasha Gallery.
At Photo Sydney
Rex Dupain – A Photo Sydney highlight — contemporary twist on the classic Sydney beach photograph that plays artifice against genuine light.
[Photo: Rex Dupain, In Time, 2026, Archival Pigment Print on Cotton Rag Paper, 80 x 120cm, Edition of 3 plus 2APS, 110 x 150cm Edition of 2 1APS
At Works on Paper
Matthew Hurdle – Hessian and ash worked into a fibrous, contemplative surface. The Brisbane artist’s meditative papermaking turns humble materials into a quiet meditation on labour, renewal and touch.
Photo: Matthew Hurdle Portrait. Courtesy of Parker Contemporary.
Talks
Platforms, New Possibilities: Art in the Digital Age tackles a timely question, as the art world braces for some of its biggest generational shifts in a decade. Essential listening for collectors thinking about where things are headed.
Talk: Platforms, New Possibilities: Art in the Digital Age
Installations
Mike Hewson – Impossible to walk past. Fresh from his acclaimed AGNSW Tank commission, Hewson’s work turns a fair into a genuine conversation about who shapes public space.
Photo: Mike Hewson, The Key’s Under the Mat, Art Gallery of New South Wales. Photo: Felicity Jenkins / Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Don’t Miss
And do come by our own talks — Art Collector’s Look Out For and Pull Focus sessions, led by our Sydney Editor Sebastian Goldspink. Expect sharp, generous conversation on the artists and ideas worth your attention at the fair.
About Art Collector
Every quarter, Art Collector magazine profiles the region’s leading artists, gallerists and collectors. You’ll also find art news, analysis of important issues affecting collectors and previews of forthcoming exhibitions across Australia and New Zealand. Subscribe to Art Collector and save up to 40% on newsagency prices. Plus, you’ll never miss an issue.
