The Must-See Artists At Melbourne’s Affordable Art Fair

Art

After 20 years operating in 13 cities worldwide including in New York, Brussels, Milan and Hong Kong, the Affordable Art Fair is making its way to Melbourne.

The aim of this globally operated fair is to disrupt the sometimes hard-to-crack art world by facilitating an accessible, attainable environment for purchasing contemporary works.

In addition to this, what sets the Affordable Art Fair apart from other events of its kind, is extra programming designed to support both emerging artists and collectors. This includes guided tours to assist those new to the art-collecting game, as well as the Affordable Art Fair initiative Young Talent Victoria which provides five up-and-coming artists with a platform to present their work to a wide audience.

Here are 10 artists to look out for when you head to the Royal Exhibition Building this September!

15th August, 2019

Judith Nungarrayi Martin. Photo – courtesy of Cooee Art.

Artwork by Judith Nungarrayi Martin. Photo – courtesy of Cooee Art.

Judith Nungarrayi Martin

Cooee Art is Australia’s oldest exhibiting Aboriginal fine art gallery, and among its artists participating in the Affordable Art Fair is Judith Nungarrayi Martin, a painter who comes from a family of well-known artists.

Featured in Judith’s paintings are her father’s Jukurrpa (Dreaming). These Dreamings have been passed down over thousands of years, and directly relate to the land including the animals and plants that inhabit it.

Originally from Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community 290 kilometres north-west of Alice Springs, Judith now lives in Nyrripi with her husband and three children.

Artwork by Laura White. Photo – courtesy of Art to Art Gallery.

Laura White

Oil painter Laura White’s work features quintessentially Australian motifs, but this Melbourne-based artist is originally from Argentina!

After almost 25 years spent working in a government organisation and briefly in interior design, Laura began experimenting with paint for the first time. She is now an artist specialising in still-life and nature-inspired oil paintings that are breathtakingly lifelike. Her work captures the subtle beauty in colour, light and texture found in the everyday.

Laura is represented by Art to Art Gallery alongside more than 50 other Australian artists and an extensive Indigenous collection.

Artwork by Eleanor Millard. Photo – courtesy of Salt Contemporary Art.

Eleanor Millard

Eleanor Millard is inspired by the natural world, specifically, the ethereal landscapes and scenes that make up Victoria’s Shipwreck Coast. Her creation of texture using crushed blacks and blue/green washes produces the subtle contrasts and tones her haunting works are renowned for.

Eleanor is also represented by Salt Contemporary Art.

Artwork by Gus Leunig. Photo – courtesy of Salt Contemporary Art.

Gus Leunig

We’ve been fans of Gus Leunig’s work for some time, featuring him in 2012 as well as way back in 2010! His nature-inspired works display seemingly simplistic, whimsical figures in complex worlds on canvas. These carefully detailed works create colourful journeys that intrigue the viewer.

Gus Leunig is represented by Salt Contemporary Art in Queenscliff, Victoria.

Artwork by Geoffrey Carran. Photo – courtesy of Martinich Carran.

Geoffrey Carran

Victorian Surf Coast-based artist Geoffrey Carran is recognised for his distinctly vibrant and energetic paintings of Australian birds and plant life.

Many of Geoffrey and his wife Rowena Martinich’s works are created in their Victorian coastal home that was featured by us last year! The couple’s work as individual artists in the separate fields of abstract expressionism (Rowena) and representational painting (Geoffrey) informs the combined art and homewares projects they also produce.

Artwork by Natalie Anderson. Photo – Van Rensburg Galleries.

Natalie Anderson

Self-taught Australian landscape painter Natalie Anderson is another Van Rensburg Galleries represented artist who is heavily influenced by the sea, particularly the landscape and ocean around Geelong. Her work endeavors to capture elements that are both ancient and timeless in our ever-changing world.

Artwork by Johnny DeFeo. Photo – Van Rensburg Galleries.

Johnny DeFeo

US painter Johnny DeFeo is a relative newcomer to the professional art world. His work is informed by interior design, luxury goods, and traditional forms of craft over fine arts practices, and attempts to capture the experiences he has in the natural world.

Johnny is represented by Hong Kong gallery Van Rensburg Galleries (VRG) – another international name joining Melbourne’s Affordable Art Fair.

Artwork by Katie Wyatt. Photo – courtesy of Bluethumb.

Katie Wyatt

Adelaide artist Katie Wyatt is known for her heavily-textured paintings depicting landscapes, seascapes and plantlife, most of which are painted from memory. She works with thick swathes of paint, using brushes and palette knives to lend an almost sculptural quality to her work.

Katie has been painting professionally since 2007, and is represented by Australia’s largest original art marketplace, Bluethumb.

Artwork by Ayame Kikuchi. Photo – courtesy of Taiko & Associates.

Ayame Kikuchi

Japanese paper artist Ayame Kikuchi was a graphic designer before eventually launching her own art practice in 2008. Since then, her work has been commissioned by Vogue Japan and Harper’s Bazaar, among other major clients.

Ayame works in the realms of sculpture and painting to form three-dimensional works that comment on the human experience and evolution of nature.

She is represented by Taiko & Associates in Tokyo.

Artwork by Alice Oehr. Photo – Sam Wong.

Alice Oehr in her studio. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files.

Alice Oehr

TDF friend Alice Oehr is one of five artists who has been selected for the Affordable Art Fair’s Young Talent exhibition, showcasing diverse and immense talent from the state.

Alice works on both personal and commercial projects, from textiles to six-foot-tall Egyptian inspired statues made for the Spring Racing Carnival! Her work never fails to make us smile with its punchy colours and integration of pattern, collage and drawing.

Melbourne Affordable Art Fair
Thursday, September 5th, 4-9pm (Opening night)
Friday, September 6th 12pm-9pm
Saturday, September 7th 10am-6pm
Sunday, September 8th 10am-6pm

Tickets available at www.affordableartfair.com/fairs/melbourne