The inaugural edition of Sydney Contemporary, Australia’s new international art fair, took place from at Carriageworks from September 19 – 22, 2013. With almost 29,000 people attending the four-day event, the fair organizers’ expectations were doubled. The opening night alone saw 10,000 visitors through the doors.
Founded by Tim Etchells (co-founder of ArtHK and London’s new Art13) and directed by Sydney’s Barry Keldoulis, the fair’s first edition included 83 galleries from 12 countries, 24 of them being international – primarily New Zealand and Asia.
Many of the gallerists were reported to have had strong sales and were pleased with the many new faces. Barry Keldoulis told Flash Art: “The market is certainly picking up again. It went through a few subdued years, post GFC. It wasn’t that we were in an economic turmoil, as we never went into recession, but there was hesitancy. People are investing in art again here.”
The 5000 square-meter space – a 19th railway station – was divided into three sections: Current Contemporary, Future Contemporary and Project Contemporary which allowed for a diverse range of established and emerging galleries and artists.