August 2010 will see the unveiling of the inaugural NOTFAIR – an art event unlike any other worldwide.
Combining the curatorial notion of a major Biennale and the commercial potential of an Art Fair, the NOTFAIR will be an opportunity for art aficionados to discover numerous unrepresented artists and a considered selection of artists the organisers believe deserve a higher profile.
Curated by artists Sam Leach and Tony Lloyd and writer Ashley Crawford, and supported by a prestigious advisory committee, the NOTFAIR is timed to compliment and coincide with The Melbourne Art Fair which attracted 30,000 visitors in 2008, many of whom travel to Melbourne for the event from elsewhere in Australia and abroad, interstate or overseas.
“NOTFAIR aims to present visitors with an alternative perspective on contemporary art in Melbourne and provide exhibiting artists with an opportunity to show work to a larger and broader audience,” says Sam Leach. “The NOTFAIR is not so much an anti-fair as it is an inversion of standard practice,” Leach says. “The emphasis will be upon the intriguing, the innovative, the emerging and the adventurous.”
Amongst the key differences between NOTFAIR and the Melbourne Art Fair will be the structure of the event, the organisers say. As opposed to inviting galleries to select their own artists for display, NOTFAIR will directly invite artists based on innovation, skills and concepts.
NOTFAIR is modelled on the success of satellite art fairs, around the world. In London, Zoo Art Fair has grown steadily in size and success as a satellite to the main event of the Freize Art Fair. Art Basel Miami is accompanied by NADA, Verge, Pulse and many other smaller fairs. Scope, Volta and Pool are all satellite fairs to the Armory Show in New York.
Melbourne, with its strong tradition of support for the visual arts is long overdue for this multi-event approach to Art Fairs.
NOTFAIR will be staged as a major event to the Melbourne Art Fair, and also host other major events.
The exhibition will be officially opened by julian Burnside, AO QC, and will also be announcing the inaugural Arkley Prize, the Profile Talent Award and the Lipman Karas Award.
NOTFAIR August 4-8, 2010 79 Stephenson Street Richmond Vic www.notfair.com.au
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August 4-8, 2010 CONTACT
