Calling all arts enthusiasts. This September, Sydney’s multidisciplinary arts hub is opening up its doors to the largest and most diverse art fair in the country. Back for its ninth iteration, Sydney Contemporary is popping up at Carriageworks from Thursday, September 11 until Sunday, September 14 2025. There’s a full four-day program of installations, performances, talks and panels, plus – naturally – a whole lot of incredible art ready to be claimed. As the largest fair to date, this year’s event will also feature a brand new ‘Photo Sydney’ sector, a whole program dedicated to aspiring young artists (appropriately titled ‘Kid Contemporary') and works by more than 500 artists.
First things first: art. As always, Sydney Contemporary will bring together some of Australia and New Zealand’s best galleries, with gallerists and individual artists putting forward a curation of works that speak to the festival’s bold, creative spirit. This year’s booth highlights will include a surreal, grocery store-inspired solo exhibition by New Zealand based installation artist Mike Hewson (presented by Michael Lett), a kooky, thought-provoking installation by Shen Shaomin (featuring 2,000 mechanical carps, with canned carps available for purchase) and the first solo Sydney exhibition of acclaimed Melbourne-based artist Julia Ciccarone. Other top picks on the gallery front include Neon Parc, Ames Yavuz, EG Projects and Sydney’s own Olsen Gallery. The debut of ‘Photo Sydney’ will bring a curation of photography to the fair, giving photographers the opportunity to connect with art collectors and galleries (and giving Sydneysiders the chance to add a beautiful photo to their art collection).
To bring life to the art (and vice versa), we can also expect to see a program of dynamic installations and performances curated by Director of UNSW Galleries José da Silva. Highlights of the ‘Installation and Performance Contemporary’ program include two live appearances by Dr Christian Thompson AO, a new site-specific kinetic sculpture by Lisa Reihana CNZM that will take over the front of the building, and a day-long endurance performance by award-winning performance artist Kalisolaite 'Uhila, who will be buried in soil in front of a crowd of art lovers. Yep, you’re reading that right.
This year’s line-up of talks will explore the intersection of art, design and architecture in 2025, with highlights set to include a panel discussion titled ‘My Brat Summer’ (elevating the voices of “the art world’s culturally omnivorous agents of change”) moderated by Jazz Money, and another titled ‘From the Love Seat: Reflections’, moderated by Benjamin Law and exploring the concept of how creative couples work, live, love and create.
For the younger art enthusiasts, 'Kid Contemporary' will bring to life a colourful, interactive workshop space presented by celebrated Aussie artist Glenn Barkley.
That’s just skimming the surface of what we can expect from this year’s event. You can explore the full program at sydneycontemporary.com.au.
Tickets for Sydney Contemporary start at $35 for a day pass (plus booking fee), $28 for concession tickets, $65 for Art Night, and $150 for Unlimited Access over the four days. Snap up your tickets over here.