Premiering at Sydney Contemporary 2025, Photo Sydney is a bold new fair-within-a-fair spotlighting contemporary photography.
Take a tour of highlights with curator Sandy Edwards. Showcasing exceptional works by leading photographic artists, this dedicated space is set to be one of the must-see highlights of Sydney Contemporary 2025!
Entry to this tour is on a first come, first serve basis and there are 20 spots available. There is no RSVP. A valid ticket to Sydney Contemporary 2025 is required for entry to this tour.
Location: Meet at Info Point
“Join multidisciplinary artist Lottie Consalvo for a conversation on how absence, longing and memory inform her poetic practice. Working across painting, performance, video and installation, Consalvo’s work dwells in the intangible—drawing on personal and collective subconscious states.
This talk will explore her intuitive process, the influence of the conceptual and the spiritual, and how she uses minimal gesture to evoke vast emotional and psychological spaces.”
Hosted by Nanda\Hobbs.
Location: Booth B29 – Nanda\Hobbs.
Navigating the ceramic world
Gabby Malpas, a Chinese transracial adoptee raised in New Zealand, confronts racism and cultural identity through activist ceramics rich with ancient and modern symbolism. A 1986 graduate of the Otago Art School, Dunedin NZ with a major in ceramics, Gabby has returned to this most ancient of arts to create vessels of power and great beauty. Join Gabby as she outlines her laborious process and techniques in producing elaborate totems which stand up to 200cm in height.
Hosted by Brenda Colahan Fine Art
Location: Booth J07, Brenda Colahan Fine Art
A deep dive into the laborious art making processes, perfectionism, and pressures of art making.
“Many artists are drawn to painting or sculpture through the challenge of accurate representation— but sculptor Sophie Lampert and painter Tracey Jones take this pursuit to extraordinary lengths. Known for their meticulous attention to detail, both artists devote thousands of hours to crafting intricate textures, elaborate surfaces, and hyper-real imagery.
In this conversation, Lampert and Jones will delve into the processes and ideas behind their monumental new works, reflecting on labour, time, and the pressures of perfectionism in art-making. The discussion, moderated by assistant curator Jenny van Ratingen, will offer insight into the physical and psychological demands of their rigorous practices.”
Hosted by CBD GALLERY.
Location: Booth J08 – CBD Gallery, Carriageworks.
Join Nadia Hernandez and Tom Polo – paired in the forthcoming book Artists by Artists by Michelle Grey and Susan Armstrong (Thames & Hudson) for an intimate conversation that navigates friendship, humour, and the playful absurdities that shape their creative worlds, offering insight into how personal connection informs artistic practice. Their works, alongside portraits by other artists featured in the book, will be on display in the Terrace Lounge at Sydney Contemporary, creating a vibrant backdrop for this exploration of portraiture, identity, and shared experience.
Location: Terrace Lounge, Carriageworks
Please join artist Alexia Sinclair as she discusses her new photomontage series, The Age of Wonder, debuting at the inaugural Photo Sydney at Sydney Contemporary. In this talk, Alexia will delve into the themes and meticulous process behind the series. Each session will include time for discussion and questions.
Hosted by Alexia Sinclair.
Location: Booth A06 – Alexia Sinclair.
Join Brett McMahon for a quiet but powerful reflection on abstraction, landscape, and material presence. Working with natural pigments, found surfaces and repetitive mark-making, McMahon’s practice is deeply meditative—rooted in place and in the act of making itself. This conversation explores his connection to land and memory, and how his minimalist yet deeply tactile works serve as maps of experience, gesture and time.
Hosted by Nanda\Hobbs.
Location: Booth E02 – Nanda\Hobbs, Carriageworks.
Public art continues to be a vital and growing part of the arts sector – and increasingly central to contemporary artistic practise. Sydney is renowned for its bold and visible public art, but how do these projects actually come to life? Who funds them, who collaborates on them, and what value do they bring to our city? Join us for an open, “ask us anything” conversation with key players behind public art: an artist, a curator, a developer, a local council rep, and a maker. Together they’ll unpack the processes, partnerships and possibilities that shape art in the public realm.
Felicity Fenner | Speaker
Hugh Irving | Speaker
Alison Page | Speaker
Jamie Perrow | Speaker
Danielle Robson | Moderator
Glenn Wallace | Speaker
Felicity Fenner is a leading curator of contemporary art in galleries, museums and the public domain. For over 20 years, she has curated exhibitions of international contemporary art, including for Australia at the Venice Biennale. Felicity is based at UNSW Art & Design and is the Chair of the City of Sydney’s Public Art Advisory Panel, the NSW State Government’s Curatorial Advisor for Barangaroo. Her latest book is Shifting Ground: the evolving role of art in the Australian public domain (Formist, 2025).
Hugh Irving is a Development Executive with over 20 years of diverse experience in property development, project management and architecture. This has provided a strong knowledge base for the successful delivery of complex projects through acquisition, design development, construction and project completion. Hugh has been involved in the commissioning of several leading artworks that add value to the public experience of the built environment.
Alison Page is a descendant of the Dharawal and Yuin peoples and an award-winning creative at the forefront of the contemporary First Nations cultural practice. Her career spans design, public art, exhibitions, and urban design, with a focus on storytelling that reconnects public spaces with the memory of Country. Alison is the founder of the National Aboriginal Design Agency and Saltwater Freshwater Arts Alliance and co-creates with First Nations communities, organisations and cultural practitioners.
Jamie Perrow is a Partner and Co-Creative Director at UAP, where he brings extensive experience leading major Australian and international projects. He has collaborated with emerging and established artists, architects and designers to deliver a large-scale creative and public art initiative. Jamie has a background in design and believes fine art fabrication is an artform in and of itself.
Danielle Robson is a Principal and Senior Curator at UAP, with nearly 20 years of experience as a curator, researcher and arts manager. She has worked extensively with the private and public sectors to connect the work of artists and designers with broad public audiences. Danielle is also a current PhD candidate in the field of curatorial studies and public art at UNSW Art & Design.
Glenn Wallace is the Special Projects Program Manager (Public Art) at the City of Sydney. Since joining the City of Sydney in 2004 Glenn has managed a range of public art projects and programs including the City’s Laneway Art program and Eora Journey. He has overseen the creation of the City Art Strategy (2011), the commissioning and installation of bara by Judy Watson (2022), and continues to assess public art plans in new development.
A valid ticket to Sydney Contemporary 2025 is required for entry to this talk. We recommend arriving 10 minutes before the talk’s start time. Buy tickets now.
Experience the rhythm of printmaking as Mark Rowden hand-prints multi-block lino cuts using carving tools, brayers, water-based inks, and barens — with a display of finished works, in-progress pieces revealing the craft behind the art.
Hosted by Sydney Printmakers.
Location: Demonstrations, Works on Paper.
The Print Council of Australia (PCA) is a national not-for-profit member organisation that promotes contemporary fine art printmaking, including artist books, zines and works on paper. We publish Imprint, the quarterly art magazine dedicated to contemporary printmaking in Australia and beyond.
Hosted by Print Council of Australia.
Location: Booth B05 – Print Council of Australia.
Image Credit: Art Documentation by Panisa Ongwat @nina_panisa
