A flagship of Sydney’s newest art art, Installation Contemporary will take an experimental approach to usable space that is sure to surprise many art-goers.
Curated by Aaron Seeto, Director of 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Installation Contemporary will be filled with large-scale sculptures and installations created by contemporary emerging and established artists working within an open theme.
CEO and Group Fairs Director of Art Fairs Australia Barry Keldoulis is looking forward to what will be on show. ‘Interestingly in Installation Contemporary we have some pieces that are quite minimal and also a word I like “maximal” as well. We have Paul Yore coming up from Melbourne and Tully Arnot and Charles Dennington, who are doing the backdrop to Talks Contemporary.’
One work with a particularly minimal slant will be ADS Donaldson’s Abstrakt Kabinen, presented by David Pestorius Projects. Donaldson has created a stark white box within which viewers can slid abstract works into new positions in order to rearrange the exhibit to their liking.
This experimental approach to spatial display extends into the exhibition landscape.
Carriageworks was originally an industrial zone within the 19th century Eveleigh Rail Yards and is filled with nooks and crannies rarely found in other gallery spaces. Many artworks have taken advantage of this unique layout such as Seung Yul Oh’s Huggong (Variation 1), presented by Starkwhite. The artist will compress an oversized inflatable sculpture into an overhead walkway, allowing it to bulge out into the surrounding space. Its neon hue will pack an extra visual punch.
Multiple levels have also been considered, with Grape Chandelier by Ken + Julia Yonetani, presented by Artereal Gallery, suspending 5,000 grape beads cast from salt over the crowd. The work comments on the increasing rise of highly saline water within a society of consumption and luxury.
The range of intriguing spatial possibilities within Carriageworks was only one factor in its selection as Sydney Contemporary’s 2013 home. A shift away from typical tourist views of Sydney was another.
‘Most of our (Australia’s) tourism advertisements are geared towards beaches and wildlife and when they (tourists) get to Sydney they are shocked to find a city of scale and complexity,’ said Keldoulis.
The location of Carriageworks, in the hub of a bustling urban arts district, gives a stronger indication of the inner city scene and the Sydney art world overall than an alternate picture perfect view.
Designing the fair will be Michael Stiff, founder of London-based architecture firm Stiff + Trevillion. Stiff also designed ART HK in 2012 and Art13 in London and is well known for installing exhibition interiors for the Royal Academy in Piccadilly and restaurant interiors for Alfred Dunhill, Selfridges and others.
Innovation, thematic freedom and a fresh understanding of space ensure that Installation Contemporary will be an exhibition to catch.
Sydney Contemporary 2013 will run from 20-22 September at Carriageworks, with the first night being held on the evening of Thursday 19 September.
As a valued supporter of ArtsHub, Sydney Contemporary is offering general entry tickets at 40% off for those that make a purchase through the ArtsHub ticket offer page.
For further information visit the Sydney Contemporary website.
(Image: Seung Yul Oh’s ‘Huggong [Variation 1]’)
