The Royal Exhibition Building hosts the Melbourne Art Fair. Image: Courtesy Art Fair
Melbourne Art Fair’s night of nights – the Vernissage – arguably stands out as one of the most important visual arts events of the year, marking both the opening of Australasia’s most decorated art fair, but perhaps more importantly, placing the who’s who of the visual arts world together in one place for a one night only celebration of art.
In the lead-up, Fair Director Barry Keldoulis said this year’s Vernissage is the biggest celebration to date with a surprise twist. ‘The Melbourne Art Fair is owned by the Melbourne Art Foundation and we manage it for them on their behalf. The Vernissage is paid for by the Foundation and galleries [in the past] have had to buy tickets for the event.
‘The Foundation’s mission is to support living artist and promote contemporary art, and so we’re turning the Vernissage into a celebration of living artists.This year, we’re inviting the artists as our guests. They will be there as our guests and treated like royalty,’ he said.
Indeed the names roll off Kaloudis’ guest list like royalty with Mikala Dwyer, Patricia Piccinini, Daniel Boyd, Chris O’Doherty, Michael Zavros, Guan Wei, Julia deVille, Sam Leach, Rick Amor, Alex Seton and Cameron Cook among the 300 invited guests who have already RSVP’d.
Another addition to this year’s Vernissage is what Keldoulis describes as the “first few.” From four to six o’clock, Collector Pass Holders will be given an exclusive sneak peak of the Fair without the crowds before the doors open. ‘The artists will [then] arrive, the party kicks off, and the champagne flows freely as will the beer this year,’ he said.
As the evening moves along until 10 o’clock, guests will be treated to canapés, good wine and preview the spread of great art. Certainly this year’s Fair has much to celebrate. Entering its 25th year, the stunning interiors of the Royal Exhibition Building will showcase across five days an outstanding selection from the region’s best galleries, in turn stimulating critical and commercial attention for galleries, curators and artists alike.
‘It’s one of the oldest fairs in the world, is very well respected and has always been positioned as the “Austaliasian” fair,’ said Keldoulis.
‘It’s continued in that tradition over time, as people locally and internationally begin to buy work more and more beyond their own boundaries, there will be more toing and froing between collectors.’
Keldoulis said that the Fair has moved from its “trade show” roots to become more proliferate, with greater competition, and a much stronger impact to enlivening the visual arts culture of the city. ‘The galleries have moved from the stock show to putting their best foot forward, new bodies of works by artists in the stands, solo or sometimes group exhibitions.
‘The thing about an art fair is that it’s a notable trend in that people are attending the fairs on a regular basis. People are time-poor, and they’re using the internet to look at shows before they decide to go to a gallery or not,’ he said.
‘Australia has an ever expanding collector base and that’s why the Fair is very popular in Australia.
Promoting this year’s Fair are a number of MAF Ambassadors including Lady Mayoress Emma Page Campbell, fashion designer Lisa Gorman and architect Corbett Lyon, who work both inside, outside and around the visual arts, but who are no less engaged with the importance of creativity.
‘What these people bring to the table is a great expansion of the appreciation of contemporary world throughout all of their creative spheres, so culturally the Fair is no longer just about the visual arts, but about the way which the visual arts interact with all of those culturally significant areas of creativity as well,’ said Keldoulis.
Equally, this intersection of creative mediums spills over into another renewed focus upon this year’s program of events and activities. ‘The Fair comes from a time when the concentration was on the Fair itself. Things outside the Fair were seen to be a distraction and not so welcomed, whereas now we do look to engage with the whole aspect of the city,’ said Keldoulis.
‘We have something like 100 events surrounding the Fair, including an academic plenary of lectures and forums, as well as talks for the more general public.’
Highlights include everything from performance art on city trams, pop-up exhibitions and late-night Art After Hours activities throughout the Fitzroy, Collingwood and CBD precincts.
Running in tandem with the Fair is Melbourne Art Week as a seven-day program of exhibitions, free educational programming, satellite events and projects that will complement the attractions of the Fair. ‘It really is about bringing the whole city to life around the visual art,’ he said.
Over and above the commercial goals of the promoting art, artists and the gallerists who represent them, Keldoulis said one of the most rewarding aspects of the Fair is the great celebration of diversity within the Australian visual arts.
‘Australia has a very sophisticated visual arts community welcoming people from abroad as well. Really it’s about showcasing the diversity of the art scene, rather than trying to narrow it down. People who come to the Fair are thrilled by the enormous variety of work on show.’
The Melbourne Art Fair Opening Night Vernissage will be held at the Royal Exhibition Building on Wednesday 13 August, with limited tickets available.
The Melbourne Art Fair runs from 13 to 17 August. Visit the Melbourne Art Fair website for tickets, the full program and further information.
Melbourne Art Fair 2014 Teaser #1 from Melbourne Art Foundation on Vimeo.
