Sydney Contemporary 2018

Overview

Sydney Contemporary, Carriageworks fourth annual celebration of all things art, will return from September 13–16 — and the fair lineup is so jam-packed that it's bursting at the finely-designed seams. Held during Sydney Art Week, the lineup is over-flowing with performances, exhibitions, tours, talks and openings that celebrate both homegrown and international art. The program will not only take place in Carriageworks, but also in partner venues across the city — most notably during the return of its night cap series at venues like the Bearded Tit, The Old Fitzroy and Artspace.

We even have our hand in the after-hours happenings, with the opening night afterparty presented by Concrete Playground. We've teamed up with Melbourne-based creative duo Prue Stent and Honey Long to take over The Royal Hotel from 9pm through midnight and bring you one helluva lineup of live performances, installations and DJs.

Back at Carriageworks, the program features artist Patricia Piccinini, who will take over the Elston Room with her other-worldly survey show, The Field — which has been developed from its time at Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art. On the performance art side, they've got Taipei-born Parisian artist River Lin, vanishing art act Emily Parsons-Lord and sonic impulse explorer Michaela Davis. Installations range from Abdul Abdullah's emoji-scrawled portraits to the modern clay figures by the Girringun Aboriginal Art Centre, along with the interactive sound sculptures from Megan Cope.

Plus, a moving image program directed by Melbourne-based Kelly Gellatly (Ian Potter Museum of Art) and tonnes of tours and artist talks are also scheduled. These include a free talk series for all ticket holders, following leading figures as they consider the controversial crossroads between contemporary art and culture — including with a panel of artists discussing the #MeToo movement's effect on the creative industries.

The program will also extend once again as far as Barangaroo, where three large-scale commissions will take over the precinct from August 27 through September 24. This year, the installations will include an artistic shelter by Canadian-born Callum Morton, a movement based performance by Mel O'Callaghan and a wind-powered exhibition by Cameron Robbins. The food at Carriageworks will be nothing to scoff at either; though the full lineup of eats has not yet been announced, previous years have seen such Sydney heavy-hitters as Longrain, Billy Kwong and Kitchen by Mike run stalls. Other foodie events include a champagne and canapes brekkie with the artists in residence at Paddington's Sabbia Gallery.

The main Sydney Contemporary event is ticketed at $25 and will be open from 12–5pm on Thursday, 12–8pm on Friday, and 11am–6pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Images: Jacquie Manning.