Synthesia
This body of work investigates the evolving relationship between the natural and the artificial, seeking to challenge contemporary preconceptions of reality in an increasingly digital world. At its core, SYNTHESIA questions the boundaries between the tangible and the synthetic, while simultaneously paying homage to the artist’s analogue photographic roots.
Hosted by OLSEN.
Location: Booth A12 – OLSEN, Carriageworks.
Join us at the National Art School booth J12 to hear from recent NAS alumni exhibited at the NAS stand. This is a special opportunity to hear from a select group of early career artists as they discuss their practice and the process of preparing work for Sydney Contemporary. Artists will be joined in conversation with Katrina Cashman, NAS Gallery Manager and Senior Curator.
Hosted by National Art School.
Location: Booth J12 – National Art School, Carriageworks.
Join renowned naturalist and artist Roger Swainston for a conversation about his unique approach to underwater drawing and the intersection of art and science. Swainston’s practice is grounded in direct observation—often drawn while submerged—and reveals the intricate ecologies of marine life with both anatomical precision and poetic depth. This intimate talk explores his lifelong engagement with the ocean, his process of fieldwork, and the role of art in environmental awareness.
Hosted by Nanda\Hobbs.
Location: Booth E02 – Nanda\Hobbs, Carriageworks.
Painter Peter Gardiner joins us for a discussion about his hauntingly beautiful visions of landscape, where natural beauty collides with ruin and human impact. Gardiner’s layered, often fragmented compositions consider the environment not as pristine wilderness but as a historical and psychological site—marked by time, conflict, and transformation. This talk will delve into the philosophical underpinnings of his work and the tension between memory, ecology and decay.
Hosted by Nanda\Hobbs.
Location: Booth E02 – Nanda\Hobbs, Carriageworks.
“Renowned artist Caroline Zilinsky joins writer and curator Ariela Bard to explore the role of the self-portrait in contemporary art—not as mere likeness, but as mythic, psychological terrain. Renowned for her symbol-laden, emotionally charged figurative work, Zilinsky dissects the human condition with both intimacy and unflinching precision. Her paintings confront selfhood, alienation, and identity in an age defined by hyper-visibility and instability, where the body becomes both vessel and battleground.
This talk delves into her fearless approach to image-making drawing from history, mythology, and lived experience—and asks how distortion, exaggeration, and abstraction can lead us closer to truth.”
Hosted by Nanda\Hobbs.
Location: Booth E02 – Nanda\Hobbs, Carriageworks.
Artist Loribelle Spirovski invites you into her richly textured world of psychological portraiture and imagined space. Her paintings blend realism and surrealism, drawing from art history, philosophy and personal experience to explore questions of selfhood, cultural identity, and the inner life. Often working directly with her fingers rather than brushes, Spirovski’s tactile process adds a visceral, intuitive layer to her images—allowing emotion and instinct to guide each mark. In this in-booth talk, she reflects on her symbolic vocabulary, her process, and how the body itself becomes an instrument in rendering the complexities of the self.
Hosted by Nanda\Hobbs.
Location: Booth E02 – Nanda\Hobbs, Carriageworks.
“Painter, maker, father, and collector of moments, James Drinkwater brings to the canvas the textured residue of a life deeply lived. In this intimate VIP talk and Q&A, Drinkwater will explore his artistic philosophy—how food, family, objects, and rituals shape his multidisciplinary practice. From his residencies abroad to everyday exchanges in the kitchen, he translates memory and ritual into lyrical abstractions.
Gain insight into his use of materials, the crossover between painting and sculpture, and the emotional undercurrents of his work. More than a discussion on technique, this is a reflection on the sacredness of the ordinary in art.”
Hosted by Nanda\Hobbs.
Location: Booth E02 – Nanda\Hobbs, Carriageworks.
Renowned artists Richard Bell and Abdul Abdullah—paired in the forthcoming book Artists by Artists by Michelle Grey and Susan Armstrong (Thames & Hudson)—will come together for a candid and thought-provoking conversation exploring the role of portraiture in politics, identity, and cultural resistance. For the book, Bell and Abdullah painted portraits of one another, resulting in a powerful creative exchange that speaks to their shared commitment to challenging dominant narratives.
Location: Terrace Lounge, Carriageworks
Experience the raw, physical energy of Jody Graham in this compelling live art demonstration and Q&A. Known for her visceral mark-making, Graham will create a work using her signature repurposed gloves—transforming the act of drawing into a performative, almost choreographic exchange between body, tool and surface. Working with unconventional materials, her process blurs control and chaos. This rare, up-close insight into her practice reveals drawing as more than image-making: it is a way of thinking through movement and material. Graham will discuss her relationship with mark-making, spontaneity, and her philosophy of drawing with the world, not just on it.
Hosted by Nanda\Hobbs
Location: Art Café, Carriageworks
Join emerging artist Oliver Abbott as he shares his innovative approach to memory and architecture through digital world-building tools and painting. With a background in filmmaking, animation, and architecture, Abbott’s process presents recollection as a creative act, reconstructing remembered environments to offer a unique perspective on how memory distorts and reshapes our perception of place. The artist will also share his recent experiences at Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Centre as the recipient of the Nancy Fairfax Residency award.
Hosted by Dominik Mersch Gallery.
Location: Booth G08 – Dominik Mersch Gallery, Carriageworks.
