Over the past decade, Sydney Contemporary has grown into one of the region’s most significant art events, connecting artists, galleries, collectors and audiences from across Australia and beyond.
But art fairs are about more than buying and selling. They create moments of encounter, experimentation and dialogue, shaping cultural conversations and supporting artistic communities. Marking ten years of the fair, this panel reflects on how the art world has changed during that time – not just in Sydney, but Australia and beyond – and examines the critical contribution that commercially-led events make to our industry. Ultimately, this talk considers what the next decade might hold for the Australasian art market, and what will change (and remain the same) at Sydney Contemporary in years to come.

Kym Elphinstone | Host
Dominic Feuchs | Speaker
Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran | Speaker
Suzanne Cotter | Speaker
Tim Etchells| Speaker

Each talk runs for approximately 45 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of Q&A. A valid ticket to Sydney Contemporary 2026 is required for entry to this talk. Buy tickets online here.

About the Speakers

Dominic Feuchs is a leading New Zealand based contemporary art gallerist and director, best known as the 2002 co-founder of Auckland’s flagship gallery, Starkwhite. In 2022 he opened Melbourne’s1301SW gallery with Los Angeles gallerist Brian Butler, before adding 1301SW Sydney in 2024. Today, Feuchs focuses on cultivating relationships across the galleries and championing prominent Australasian and international artists on the global stage.

Kym Elphinstone is an arts advocate and advisor with more than two decades experience championing the work of contemporary artists. Kym is the founder of Australia’s leading cultural communications agency Articulate Advisory, through which she has advised on and launched hundreds of arts initiatives for public and private museums, galleries, biennales, art fairs and foundations. An avid art collector, Kym was a founding board member of Art Month Sydney, founding member of the MCA Young Ambassadors, sits on the board of Ngununggula and is the Chair of Firstdraft.

Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran is a contemporary artist of Sri Lankan, Tamil heritage. His practice traverses global histories and languages of figuration with a particular focus on South Asian traditions. He sees the imaginative exploration of ancient pasts as a way to speculate on parallel futures and to expand ways of perceiving the present. While he works across ceramics, bronze casting, painting, drawing, and immersive installation, he is best known for his hybrid ceramic sculptures that fuse references to ancient forms with various tropes and imagery from popular culture, zoology and other discourses.

Suzanne Cotter is a leading curator and scholar of contemporary art. She is currently Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. Previously Director of the Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, Luxembourg and Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, Portugal, she has held curatorial positions at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York, Hayward Gallery, London, Serpentine Gallery, London and Modern Art Oxford. A board member of CIMAM between 2017 and 2025, she is also a board member of Mophradat, supporting artists from the Arab world. She has been awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government and equivalent honours from Luxembourg and Italy.

Tim Etchells has spent the last 30 years creating and managing Events and Fairs all over the world. From The Good Food Shows to London Fashion Week to Art HK, Tim has worked in numerous different industry sectors across different countries. In 2008 Tim developed the idea to stage Art HK which became the largest art fair in Asia, and is now under the ownership of MCH and renamed Art Basel Hong Kong. In 2013 Tim launched Sydney Contemporary initially on a biannual basis. Having established itself as the largest international art fair in Australasia, Sydney Contemporary moved to an annual cycle in 2017. Tim’s art fair portfolio includes ART SG (Singapore), Taipei Dangdai (Taiwan) and Art Central (Hong Kong).  In 2016 Tim received two separate Lifetime Achievement Awards from the UK Exhibition industry.

About Sydney Contemporary

Sydney Contemporary, presented by MA Financial Group, returns to Carriageworks from 3-6 September, bringing together 100 galleries from nine countries for the 10th edition of Australasia’s premier art fair. For four unforgettable days of discovery, conversation and spectacle, Carriageworks becomes the centre of the art world in our region. Alive with buzzing crowds, ambitious installations, performances, talks and inspiring encounters with artists and galleries, it’s Sydney’s most exciting cultural event this spring and an event not to miss.

Join quizmaster Barry Keldoulis and, in the blue corner representing NSW, artists Joan Ross and Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, and in the maroon corner representing Qld, curator Ellie Buttrose and artist Tony Albert, for a lively, game show–style quiz to finally decide which State is Capital of Contemporary Art in Australia.  From surprising art history moments (like the disqualification of Victoria) to fundamental questions about the nature of Art, this fun and fast-paced session will test your eye, challenge what you think you know, and reveal the things they don’t teach you in art history.

Two teams, Four contestants – each bringing a unique perspective from the front lines of the contemporary art scene. But when the timer starts, only one team can walk away with top honours.

Each talk runs for approximately 45 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of Q&A. A valid ticket to Sydney Contemporary 2026 is required for entry to this talk. Buy tickets online here.

About Sydney Contemporary

Sydney Contemporary, presented by MA Financial Group, returns to Carriageworks from 3-6 September, bringing together 100 galleries from nine countries for the 10th edition of Australasia’s premier art fair. For four unforgettable days of discovery, conversation and spectacle, Carriageworks becomes the centre of the art world in our region. Alive with buzzing crowds, ambitious installations, performances, talks and inspiring encounters with artists and galleries, it’s Sydney’s most exciting cultural event this spring and an event not to miss.

Technology is transforming every stage of the artistic process, from how work is made to how it is shared, experienced and valued. Social platforms like Instagram and TikTok have redefined visibility and audience-building, while digital archives, immersive environments and emerging Web3 communities are opening new pathways for engagement and distribution.

At the same time, artificial intelligence is reshaping creative practice itself, raising complex questions around authorship, originality and ownership. Can a machine be an artist, and what does that mean for human creativity? Bringing together artists, technologists and cultural thinkers, this panel explores how practitioners are navigating the rapidly evolving digital landscape – balancing opportunity with critical reflection, and redefining what it means to make and experience art today.

Noelle Faulkner | Host
Nikita Le Messurier | Speaker
Claire Evans | Speaker
Tom Sanders | Speaker
Sam Leach | Speaker

Each talk runs for approximately 45 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of Q&A. A valid ticket to Sydney Contemporary 2026 is required for entry to this talk. Buy tickets online here.

About the Speakers

Noelle Faulkner is a writer and cultural/consumer trend intelligence researcher whose work centres around what she likes to refer to as, ‘the things that move us emotionally, physically and towards the future’. Noelle is a globally-recognised voice in automotive, across design and business, but her practice crosses the thresholds of culture, art, travel, fashion and innovation to unearth meaning behind objects and consumer behaviour.

Her feature writing and commentary has appeared in Vogue, Harper’s BAZAAR, GQ, Esquire, The Road Rat, Esses, The Local Project, Vogue Living, The Guardian, Qantas Travel Insider, Forbes, Robb Report, evo and more; and she’s led talks at various conferences including SXSW Sydney and Semi Permanent. Beyond her work in media, she’s worked with a variety of organisations, including The Future Laboratory, WGSN, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Universal Music Group, Diageo, Zeekr, Blackberry, Unilever, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Polestar and Porsche

Nikita Le Messurier is an advisor at OpenAI, where she advises some of Australia and New Zealand’s most innovative technology companies on the adoption and application of generative AI. Alongside her work in technology, Nikita is an active investor and contemporary art collector with a particular interest in emerging Australian artists. She is passionate about supporting artists, fostering cultural philanthropy, and building stronger connections between the worlds of technology, business, and the arts.

Nikita is Chair of the Arts Centre Melbourne Contemporary Foundation and an Ambassador for The Australian Ballet. Through her collecting and advocacy, she is committed to supporting the next generation of Australian artists and helping broaden engagement with contemporary art.

Claire Evans is an immersive media practitioner and co-founder of Junior Major, a collective of artists and technologists who make – and merge – digital and physical worlds. The studio is known for a playful yet considered approach, combining strong creative vision with expertise in technology, engineering and materials to realise immersive experiences, artworks and installations. Their recent works include the code-confounding performance ‘Stable Confusion’ with Worlds Only; ‘Floating Realm’, a sculptural LED artwork made in collaboration with Brian Robinson; an immersive reimagining of Emperor Qin’s sealed tomb for the Western Australian Museum; and ‘200 Years’, a meandering journey through the archive of the State Library of NSW.

Tom Sanders is a brand strategist and creative leader currently serving as the Head of Communications and Marketing at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA). With over 25 years of cross-disciplinary experience across Asia-Pacific and Europe, Tom has built a career at the intersection of advertising, PR, experiential, and digital media. Prior to joining the MCA, Tom was Creative Director at Herd MSL, one of Australia’s most successful PR agencies, where he led high-impact, award-winning campaigns for major brands including Telstra, CBA, Airbnb, Spotify, and Uber. Tom’s motto is ‘better sorry than safe’ and he is obsessed with boiling vegetables, listening to happy hardcore, and painting neon abstracts.

Sam Leach is an acclaimed Australian contemporary artist, whose practice is informed by the canon of art history, science, and philosophy. His work is an ongoing investigation of the relationship between humans, machines and animals. His most recent bodies of work incorporate machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) fusing the tropes and gestures of paintings with the mechanics and gaze of the future.

About Sydney Contemporary

Sydney Contemporary, presented by MA Financial Group, returns to Carriageworks from 3-6 September, bringing together 100 galleries from nine countries for the 10th edition of Australasia’s premier art fair. For four unforgettable days of discovery, conversation and spectacle, Carriageworks becomes the centre of the art world in our region. Alive with buzzing crowds, ambitious installations, performances, talks and inspiring encounters with artists and galleries, it’s Sydney’s most exciting cultural event this spring and an event not to miss.

Image: Junior Major, Emperor’s Tomb, 2025, for Western Australia Museum

Collecting art isn’t reserved for sprawling homes or white-walled galleries; some of the most compelling collections are built within the constraints of smaller, inner-city spaces. But how do you live with art when space is limited? Does size matter, or is it all about placement, framing and intention?

Bringing together architect Billy Maynard, interior designer Mariah Burton (Folk Studio) and artist Ben Mazey, this conversation explores the creative possibilities of collecting for compact living and for financially diverse baselines. From salon-style hangs and unexpected placements to choosing works that resonate without overwhelming a room, the panel will unpack the unwritten rules – and when to break them – showing how even the smallest spaces can hold bold, personal and meaningful collections.

Tanya Buchanan | Host
Mariah Burton | Speaker
Billy Maynard | Speaker
Ben Mazey | Speaker

Each talk runs for approximately 45 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of Q&A. A valid ticket to Sydney Contemporary 2026 is required for entry to this talk. Buy tickets online here.

About the Speakers

Tanya Buchanan is one of Australia’s most recognisable and respected voices in the luxury and interior design media landscape. As editor-in-chief of Belle, and formerly Australian House & Garden, Tanya has hosted countless industry-defining events, including the Belle Interior Design Awards, Belle Milan Reports, Belle ArtStart, and House & Garden’s Top 50 Rooms galas.

Beyond the page, Tanya is an in-demand speaker and moderator across luxury, interior design, trade, and consumer events, including panel talks, masterclasses, book launches, design fairs, and trend panels. She regularly collaborates with leading brands and creative figures, including Winnings, Top 3 by Design, Fanuli, Ralph Lauren, Reece, CDK Stone, Sub-Zero & Wolf, and Kaolin, as well as respected voices such as Steve Cordony, Greg Natale, Thomas Hamel, Meryl Hare, and Adelaide Bragg, to name a few.  Known for her authority, warmth, and deep industry insight, Tanya brings clarity, relevance, and a distinctly editorial lens to every conversation.

Mariah Burton is the director and co-founder of Folk Studio, a boutique Sydney based interior design practice founded in 2018 and grounded in human-centred design principles. The name Folk, meaning “people in general,” reflects the studio’s philosophy of creating homes and spaces that prioritise wellbeing, authenticity and meaningful connection. Through this lens, Folk Studio has become known for its holistic and collaborative approach to design, balancing transparency, emotion and functionality in equal measure. Folk’s work is characterised by sensitivity, integrity and a genuine commitment to creating spaces that enrich the everyday lives of the people who inhabit them.

Billy Maynard is a Sydney-based architect and director of Billy Maynard Architects, recognised for crafting bespoke, sustainable residential and public projects that focus on connection to nature.

Ben Mazey is an Australian based artist whose practice draws from his inner and outer worlds, imbuing references collected from his New Zealand childhood and time abroad (he worked in fashion and design in the UK, France, and China, with seven years as Design Director at Kenzo, Paris). He also pulls from an affinity with Warhol’s pop art repetitions, Gordon Matta-Clark’s architectural interventions, Art Nouveau’s superfluous decoration, and the impermanence of Land Art. Too, as a Queer artist, he gives his pieces a playful—often camp—exaggeration in homage of his younger self, who felt pressured to mask his flamboyant side. With this assemblage of resonant emotional and aesthetic cues, Mazey seeks a release of cathartic nostalgia throughout his materials, process and final pieces.

About Sydney Contemporary

Sydney Contemporary, presented by MA Financial Group, returns to Carriageworks from 3-6 September, bringing together 100 galleries from nine countries for the 10th edition of Australasia’s premier art fair. For four unforgettable days of discovery, conversation and spectacle, Carriageworks becomes the centre of the art world in our region. Alive with buzzing crowds, ambitious installations, performances, talks and inspiring encounters with artists and galleries, it’s Sydney’s most exciting cultural event this spring and an event not to miss.

Image: Folk Studios, Pyrmont Apartment, Photo: Jacqui Turk.

Contemporary art is often perceived as serious, intellectual, even intimidating. But what happens when artists embrace humour, playfulness and joy? From bold colours and unexpected materials to works that invite participation or laughter, many contemporary artists are challenging the idea that art must always be solemn for it to be deemed intellectually worthy. This lively conversation, featuring artists Kenny Pittock, Mike Hewson and The Huxleys, celebrates the lighter side of creativity and explores how play, delight and accessibility can open the door to new audiences and experiences and reveal a different side of contemporary art.

Alison Kubler | Host
Kenny Pittock | Speaker
Mike Hewson | Speaker
The Huxleys | Speaker

Each talk runs for approximately 45 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of Q&A. A valid ticket to Sydney Contemporary 2026 is required for entry to this talk. Buy tickets online here.

About the Speakers

Alison Kubler has a double major in Art History from the University of Queensland, Australia, and a Masters in Post-war and Contemporary Art History from Manchester University, England. She has over 30 years of experience as a curator in museums and galleries in Australia, as well as on major public art commissions. She worked as Arts Adviser to the Federal Minister for the Arts and Sport, held full-time curatorial positions at QUT Art Museum and Gold Coast City Art Gallery, and served as Associate Curator at the University of Queensland Art Museum. Alison is the Editor in Chief of VAULT (vaultmagazine.com), a journal focused on art and culture, and a regular contributor to various art magazines and journals. She served as a Member of the Council of the National Gallery from 2018 to 2024, was the Chair of the Collections Committee of the National Gallery, and a Committee Member of Know My Name. In 2026, she was appointed a member of the Queensland Art Gallery Board of Trustees and a Board Member of Australasian Dance Collective.

Kenny Pittock is a Melbourne based artist who works with ceramics, painting and drawing, and uses humour and sentimentality to playfully respond to contemporary Australian culture. Kenny received an Honours Fine Arts Degree in painting from the Victorian College of the Arts in 2013, since then he has had solo exhibitions in Italy and Singapore, as well as consistently exhibited his work all over Australia with galleries including Bendigo Art Gallery, NGV, ACCA in Melbourne, PICA in Perth, Artspace in Sydney and MONA in Tasmania. In 2017 Pittock was the recipient of Redlands Emerging Artist Award.

Mike Hewson is an Aotearoa-born artist whose practice engages sculpture, architecture, public space and urban infrastructure. His works often intervene in built environments, creating situations that reconsider how people move through, use and understand shared civic and social spaces.

The Huxleys, Will and Garrett Huxley (Aus/Gumbaynggirr/Yorta Yorta), are Australian based collaborative visual and performance artists. The Huxleys are a dynamic duo of cataclysmic proportions who present queer spectacle and disco enthused wizardry across the visual art, performance and fashion worlds. Their photography and performance art traverses the classifications of costume, film and recording. A visual assault of sparkle, surrealism and the absurd, The Huxleys saturate their practice and projects with a glamorous, androgynous freedom which sets out to bring some escapism and magic to everyday life. Since 2014 The Huxleys have performed, exhibited and participated in numerous exhibitions, projects and events in Australia, and internationally in London, Berlin, Moscow, New York, Arles and Hong Kong.

About Sydney Contemporary

Sydney Contemporary, presented by MA Financial Group, returns to Carriageworks from 3-6 September, bringing together 100 galleries from nine countries for the 10th edition of Australasia’s premier art fair. For four unforgettable days of discovery, conversation and spectacle, Carriageworks becomes the centre of the art world in our region. Alive with buzzing crowds, ambitious installations, performances, talks and inspiring encounters with artists and galleries, it’s Sydney’s most exciting cultural event this spring and an event not to miss.

Image:Kenny Pittock, Nothing’s Happened Since Yesterday, 2021. Courtesy MARS Gallery.

About the Speakers

Alison Kubler has a double major in Art History from the University of Queensland, Australia, and a Masters in Post-war and Contemporary Art History from Manchester University, England. She has over 30 years of experience as a curator in museums and galleries in Australia, as well as on major public art commissions. She worked as Arts Adviser to the Federal Minister for the Arts and Sport, held full-time curatorial positions at QUT Art Museum and Gold Coast City Art Gallery, and served as Associate Curator at the University of Queensland Art Museum. Alison is the Editor in Chief of VAULT (vaultmagazine.com), a journal focused on art and culture, and a regular contributor to various art magazines and journals. She served as a Member of the Council of the National Gallery from 2018 to 2024, was the Chair of the Collections Committee of the National Gallery, and a Committee Member of Know My Name. In 2026, she was appointed a member of the Queensland Art Gallery Board of Trustees and a Board Member of Australasian Dance Collective.

Sally Dan-Cuthbert has worked in the art and design industry for over 35 years as an esteemed advisor, curator, art specialist, and, most recently, launching Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert in August 2019. Dan-Cuthbert has built up important relationships with artists, curators, galleries and collectors, which has kept her at the top of her profession. She was previously employed by Christie’s, Australia and continues to operate as an industry-respected independent art advisor. Her clients range from private collectors to corporations with noteworthy collections. Dan-Cuthbert works closely with artists, designers, architects and collectors to facilitate meaningful exchanges and thoughtful collecting practices.

David Caon is a Sydney-based industrial designer and creative director working across aviation, product, furniture, interiors and brand. David is a Polestar Ambassador, and Founder of Caon Design Office.

Alex Seton is a multidisciplinary Australian artist working across sculpture, photography, video, installation, and augmented reality. Best known for his contemporary marble carvings, Seton combines traditional craftsmanship with conceptual exploration, using materiality as a poetic tool to reflect on issues of nationhood, identity, privacy, and the tension between individual and society. Seton’s work has been exhibited widely across Australia and internationally, with major commissions and exhibitions presented at leading institutions, as well as significant public galleries and museums nationwide. His work is held in prominent public and private collections, and he has been the recipient of major awards and commissions.

Grace Lillian Lee was born and raised in Cairns, Queensland. Lee uses fashion and adornment to represent her diverse cultural heritage, while being inspired by the beauty of the ocean and the Great Barrier Reef. Lee has become known for her wearable interpretations of Torres Strait Island weaving techniques, known as prawn-weaving. Swapping the traditional palm leaf for pre-dyed cotton webbing, Lee pushes the boundaries of traditional techniques to create layered woven body sculptures and accessories. By bringing such techniques into the contexts of both art and fashion, Lee has engaged a wide audience, allowing her to develop a successful business based on woven accessories, that celebrate and explore her lineage.

About Sydney Contemporary

Sydney Contemporary, presented by MA Financial Group, returns to Carriageworks from 3-6 September, bringing together 100 galleries from nine countries for the 10th edition of Australasia’s premier art fair. For four unforgettable days of discovery, conversation and spectacle, Carriageworks becomes the centre of the art world in our region. Alive with buzzing crowds, ambitious installations, performances, talks and inspiring encounters with artists and galleries, it’s Sydney’s most exciting cultural event this spring and an event not to miss.

Image: Alex Seton, The Fabulists, 2025, A Person of Substance (Life size) 2024, Queensland Pearl marble (Wakaman), cosmetic mica powder, 148 x 116 x 105 cm. COurtesy Sulliva+Strumpf. Photography by Mark Pokorny

In an expansion of taste, young collectors are driving trends for otherwise dusty relics of periods past. From classical ‘stranger art’ oil portraits that evoke the Old Masters, to late-20th century IKEA furniture, the market for antiques, historical objects and vintage items is experiencing a phenomenal surge of interest, particularly among younger collectors discovering these pieces (often for the first time) through a new wave of dealers and gallerists trading on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

As our interiors become increasingly eclectic, blending centuries of design and culture and embracing a combination of traditional high-low aesthetic values, where does contemporary art sit in the mix? This conversation explores the evolving relationship between antiques, vintage design and contemporary art, and looks at how collectors are creating layered spaces that combine both past and present.

Tanya Buchanan | Host
Jesse-Jack de Deyne | Speaker
Madeleine McKenzie | Speaker
Sarah-Jane Pyke | Speaker

Each talk runs for approximately 45 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of Q&A. A valid ticket to Sydney Contemporary 2026 is required for entry to this talk. Buy tickets online here.

About the Speakers

Tanya Buchanan is one of Australia’s most recognisable and respected voices in the luxury and interior design media landscape. As editor-in-chief of Belle, and formerly Australian House & Garden, Tanya has hosted countless industry-defining events, including the Belle Interior Design Awards, Belle Milan Reports, Belle ArtStart, and House & Garden’s Top 50 Rooms galas. Beyond the page, Tanya is an in-demand speaker and moderator across luxury, interior design, trade, and consumer events, including panel talks, masterclasses, book launches, design fairs, and trend panels. She regularly collaborates with leading brands and creative figures. Known for her authority, warmth, and deep industry insight, Tanya brings clarity, relevance, and a distinctly editorial lens to every conversation.

Jesse-Jack De Deyne founded A Secondary Eye in 2020 with the aim of developing the secondary market for art and collectibles in Australia. Initially based in Brisbane and now on Queen Street in Woollahra, Sydney, the gallery’s exhibition program focuses upon historically important artists that still have relevance today.Recently Jesse-Jack has taken upon a new role as General Manager and Head of Specialist Sales at Australia’s oldest existing auction house, Theodore Bruce.

Madeleine McKenzie holds a double degree in Commerce and Fine Art from the University of Western Australia and a Master’s in History of Art and Art-World Practice from Christie’s Education in London. She began her career with internships at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice followed by Sotheby’s London, where she then worked for a further two years in the Contemporary Art department across auctions and private sales. In 2017, she moved to New York to work at Sperone Westwater art gallery before returning to Australia. Now based in Sydney, Madeleine has developed expertise in antique and decorative arts, contributing to major collections and auctions in her role as Head of Decorative Arts & Art at Leonard Joel, Sydney. As a specialist in both art and decorative arts, she has overseen a number of important single owner collections in her time with Leonard Joel.

Sarah-Jane Pyke understands the necessity for interiors to be authentically mindful of place and those who inhabit them with over 20 years of professional design experience. Her concepts are clever, not tricky, and her meticulous approach to carving space is underpinned by a sensual elegance that enhances volume and natural light. Sarah-Jane’s design outcomes are beautifully sumptuous given their focus upon tactile elements. Playing to an organic order, her appreciation for true craftmanship is evident in her innovative approach to enhancing the natural power of expressive stone and timber varieties in her intricately detailed custom creations. Possessing an eye for unexpected pairings – most notably manifesting in engaging curations of artworks with prized objects and furnishings – her work translates into equal parts fresh, visceral and functional, above all else sparking enquiry and eliciting delight.

About Sydney Contemporary

Sydney Contemporary, presented by MA Financial Group, returns to Carriageworks from 3-6 September, bringing together 100 galleries from nine countries for the 10th edition of Australasia’s premier art fair. For four unforgettable days of discovery, conversation and spectacle, Carriageworks becomes the centre of the art world in our region. Alive with buzzing crowds, ambitious installations, performances, talks and inspiring encounters with artists and galleries, it’s Sydney’s most exciting cultural event this spring and an event not to miss.

Image: Hawthorn House by Arent & Pyke. Photograph by Anson Smart

As climate urgency reshapes global consciousness, artists are moving beyond simply depicting the natural world to actively engaging with the environmental conditions that define our time. From practices grounded in care for Country and ecological knowledge, to works that interrogate the tensions between the organic and the synthetic, contemporary art is a powerful site for critique and connection.

This panel brings together three artists whose work responds to environmental change – whether through material choices or research-led processes – to explore how art can deepen our understanding of nature, challenge extractive systems and imagine more sustainable futures.

Alison Kubler | Host
Aidan Hartshorn | Speaker
Ellen Dahl | Speaker
Jamie North | Speaker

About the Speakers

Alison Kubler has a double major in Art History from the University of Queensland, Australia, and a Masters in Post-war and Contemporary Art History from Manchester University, England. She has over 30 years of experience as a curator in museums and galleries in Australia, as well as on major public art commissions. She worked as Arts Adviser to the Federal Minister for the Arts and Sport, held full-time curatorial positions at QUT Art Museum and Gold Coast City Art Gallery, and served as Associate Curator at the University of Queensland Art Museum. Alison is the Editor in Chief of VAULT (vaultmagazine.com), a journal focused on art and culture, and a regular contributor to various art magazines and journals. She served as a Member of the Council of the National Gallery from 2018 to 2024, was the Chair of the Collections Committee of the National Gallery, and a Committee Member of Know My Name. In 2026, she was appointed a member of the Queensland Art Gallery Board of Trustees and a Board Member of Australasian Dance Collective.

Aidan Hartshorn‘s (Walgalu/Wiradjuri) practice examines the environmental and cultural impacts of industrialisation in Australia’s high country. Raised in Tumut, where the Murrumbidgee and Tumut Rivers meet, Hartshorn’s connection to his ancestral land is shaped by the disruptions of the Snowy Hydro-Electric Scheme, which submerged much of Walgalu Country, erasing sacred sites. The ongoing flooding and diversion of the Snowy River continue to affect Hartshorn’s community, limiting access to cultural practices and ancestral lands. Through his work, Hartshorn addresses the intersection of colonisation, environmental degradation, and cultural loss, often using industrial glass to create objects that reflect his heritage and the ecological damage. His creations, like his Murrin (bark canoe), embody reflections on loss, resilience, and the struggle to reconnect with the land.

Ellen Dahl‘s practice is rooted in working with and around the landscape and the concept of place-time. Originally from Arctic Norway and now living and working on Gadigal Country (Sydney), Australia, her work is shaped by a deep attentiveness to location — its geology, its atmospheres, and the slow processes that mark and transform it. Dahl continually explores the expanded photographic field for its potential to assemble new ecological meaning and geological imagination. She has exhibited extensively across Australia and internationally, and holds an MFA (Research) from Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney, and a PhD from the School of Creative Arts and Media, University of Tasmania. Dahl is represented by THIS IS NO FANTASY

Jamie North is a Sydney-based artist whose sculptural practice investigates the relationship between industrial materials, architecture and ecological systems. Working with concrete, metals, industrial by-products and living plant systems, he creates works that explore processes of erosion, succession, decay and regeneration within built environments. His practice is characterised by eroded architectural forms that operate as habitats, inviting natural processes to participate in the ongoing life of the work. North has developed major public artworks and site-responsive commissions across Australia and internationally, including projects for Queensland Ballet and the Windler Stiftung, Switzerland, as well as private and institutional commissions in North America. His work has been exhibited in the 20th Biennale of Sydney and at institutions including the NGV, QAGOMA, Monash University Museum of Art and Museum Wilhelm Morgner, Germany.

About Sydney Contemporary

Sydney Contemporary, presented by MA Financial Group, returns to Carriageworks from 3-6 September, bringing together 100 galleries from nine countries for the 10th edition of Australasia’s premier art fair. For four unforgettable days of discovery, conversation and spectacle, Carriageworks becomes the centre of the art world in our region. Alive with buzzing crowds, ambitious installations, performances, talks and inspiring encounters with artists and galleries, it’s Sydney’s most exciting cultural event this spring and an event not to miss.

Image: Ellen Dahl, Time and Time Again, 2026

Widely considered one of the oldest art mediums, painting has experienced a powerful revival in contemporary practice. In our era of digital images and algorithms, artists are returning to the tactile immediacy of paint: the haptic gesture of the hand, the presence of the body, and the expressive possibilities of pigment on surface.

From renewed explorations of the human figure to culturally rooted storytelling, painting is evolving in surprising and dazzling ways, pushing the medium into new territory. This lively discussion charts painting’s return to prominence and looks at the ways in which artists are reimagining the historic medium in their own unique ways, spotlighting three key artists featured in this year’s fair.

Neha Kale | Host
Justin Paton | Speaker
Natasha Walsh | Speaker
Lottie Consalvo | Speaker
Gregory Hodge | Speaker

Each talk runs for approximately 45 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of Q&A. A valid ticket to Sydney Contemporary 2026 is required for entry to this talk. Buy tickets online here.

About the Speakers

Neha Kale is a widely acclaimed writer of criticism, journalism, and essay. Her work focuses on art, contemporary culture, and society, exploring overlooked narratives and the way history and power shape individual experience. She has contributed to The Guardian, The Saturday Paper, ArtReview, Vogue, BBC, Griffith Review, The Sydney Morning Herald and The World of Interiors among many other national and international publications, and has presented at the Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Writers’ Festival and more.  She is the former editor of VAULT magazine and editor-at-large at Art Guide Australia. Her first book Foreign Return: On Art and Inhabitation is out this month with NewSouth.

Justin Paton is Chief curator at the Art Gallery of New South Wales and a widely publishedwriter on painting. His books includeHow to Look at a Painting(Awa Press,2005),McCahon Country(2018) and, most recently,Louise Bourgeois: In the Studio(2026).

Natasha Walsh is an alchemist and artist. Known for her transformation of pigments on copper surfaces, Walsh’s work acutely observes delicately-painted figures that emerge from the surface. ‘From the moment that I prepare the surface, it begins to naturally oxidise. I experiment with applying different ground pigments which change colour in response to this process. These paintings visibly age as I work on them. As such, my attempt to transfix time is inherently impossible and this interests me.’

Walsh has been a recipient of multiple awards, prizes, and scholarships, including The Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship, Mosman Art Prize, and The Kilgour Prize, and has been a finalist in The Archibald Prize four times, The BP Portrait Award (London National Portrait Gallery), The Royal Scottish Academy Annual Exhibition (Edinburgh), and The Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition (London).

Lottie Consalvo is a Melbourne-borne artist whose practice is rooted in the exploration of the invisible world. She transcends the boundaries of the visible and tangible, pushing into the mind’s capacity to explore the unbound possibilities of our existence and what lies beyond. Her work navigates the intersections of the physical, internal, and limitless—challenging conventional notions of reality and urging us to embrace what is unseen and unknown.

In 2015, Consalvo completed a residency with Marina Abramovic as part of Kaldor Public Art Projects 30 in Sydney, and an exhibition at Hamburg’s Millerntor Gallery #5. In 2018, she held her first solo museum exhibition at Heide Museum of Modern Art in Victoria. The following year, she showcased her Horizon video works at Casula Powerhouse, and had a major exhibition at Maitland Regional Art Gallery

Gregory Hodge is an Australian artist based in Paris, France. His paintings oscillate between abstraction and figuration, layering personal source material with painterly gestural marks and obscured motifs of architecture, interiors and foliage.

Hodge is interested in devising ways to render material surfaces in paint. His recent bodies of work honour a deliberately handmade quality, where he uses bespoke tools and brushes to create marks that resemble the warp and weft of tapestries. Initially working from illustrations and digitally collaged photographs, Hodge meticulously recreates these layered compositions in paint. Through his deliberate use of shadows and sharp edges, he achieves convincing trompe l’oeil planes that reinforce intellectual and visual collisions, where forms and shapes appear to hover and stack together.

About Sydney Contemporary

Sydney Contemporary, presented by MA Financial Group, returns to Carriageworks from 3-6 September, bringing together 100 galleries from nine countries for the 10th edition of Australasia’s premier art fair. For four unforgettable days of discovery, conversation and spectacle, Carriageworks becomes the centre of the art world in our region. Alive with buzzing crowds, ambitious installations, performances, talks and inspiring encounters with artists and galleries, it’s Sydney’s most exciting cultural event this spring and an event not to miss.

Image: Natasha Walsh, Cornucopia, 2026. Photo courtesy of N.Smith Gallery