From Rebecca Gallo…
This week sees the launch of The Other Art Fair (TOAF) in its first Sydney presentation. The formula comes pre-approved, with the fair having run previously in London and Bristol and hailed in the British press as the ‘young, hipper artist?led alternative’ to the big-name established fairs. Instead of galleries presenting booths of work by their represented artists, here it is the artists themselves who have applied and been selected for exhibition, and who will be presenting their work to the public.
Described as ‘artist-led’, the fair is run by Tim Etchells’ Single Market Events, the same parent company that owns concurrent Sydney Contemporary Art Fair. Perhaps the most important and interesting difference between the two is that the artists you’ll see on exhibition at Sydney Contemporary are commercially represented and already have reasonable profiles within the art world, whereas the artists at TOAF are either at early stages of their careers, or have chosen alternative paths within (or outside of) the art world. There is the real possibility of ‘discovering’ an artist who is not already art-world famous. More importantly, you might find art you like with an affordable price tag, and spark a meaningful relationship with the person who made it.
September 9-12
Thurs 5pm-9.30pm, Fri 10am-8pm, Sat & Sun 10am-6pm
Tickets $15 (general) or $25 (Thurs opening night)
The aMBUSH Project Space, Chippendale
Pic: Kai Wasikowski, Handscape VI.
