March sees the inauguration of Melbourne’s collectible design fair, the first of its kind in Australia
Marta Figueiredo’s Totem ‘M’, 2018. Photography by Jonathon Griggs
Words by Sonia Zhuravlyova
An initiative of the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) and the Melbourne Art Foundation, Melbourne Collectible Design Fair will present limited-edition and one-of-a kind collectable designs by the country’s emerging as well as established contemporary designers and makers. The fair will run parallel to Melbourne Design Week.
The fair will host 13 leading galleries, design organisations, agencies and studios that will present furniture, lighting, object and speculative design. The pieces promise to showcase the designers’ material ingenuity and to reflect the makers’ diverse backgrounds, experiences and attitudes.
Sophie Gannon Gallery presents Elliat Rich, Installation view of Other Places, 2018. Photography by Sean Fennessy
Some highlights include the Sophie Gannon Gallery, which will display works by award-winning interior designer Danielle Brustman, multidisciplinary designer Elliat Rich and Makiko Ryujina, a Japanese-born, Melbourne-based woodturner and photographer. Look out, too, for Craft Victoria, which celebrates the breadth and dexterity of contemporary Australian craftspeople.
The fair will be complemented by a curated exhibition that brings together 36 Australian industry heavyweights and rising stars, curated by Simone LeAmon, NGV’s Hugh Williamson Curator of Contemporary Design and Architecture. Works for sale will be presented by some of Australia’s most well-known designers, such as Adam Goodrum, Brodie Neill and Susan Cohn as well as emerging designers, such as Elliot Bastianon and Delissa Walker.
Pest Chair by James Lemon, 2021. Photopgraphy by Annika Kafcaloudis
‘The National Gallery of Victoria set out to identify designers who are helping to establish a picture of collectible contemporary design in Australia that is independent, original and expressive of contemporary issues and values,’ says LeAmon.
‘The exhibition brings into focus design practitioners who are pursing artistic conversations, developing their own design and material processes, contextualising their work in relation to design history and the present, and enhancing the perception of contemporary design practice in Australia.’
The Melbourne Design Fair runs from 16 to 20 March. For more information click here
All images courtesy of Melbourne Design Fair
Get a curated collection of design and architecture news in your inbox by signing up to our ICON Weekly newsletter
