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BOOTH WITH MUSEUM-QUALITY WORKS: GALLERY SALLY DAN-CUTHBERT (GADIGAL COUNTRY/SYDNEY)
Two major female forces of the arts, Sally Smart and Marion Borgelt, dominate the booth of Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert , the rising Sydney gallery established in 2019. Attending their second art fair with full flair, they have chosen to exhibit rarely seen works from Smart’s lyrical collages, which are undoubtedly a highlight of MAF 2022.
The museum-quality works are delightfully nuanced, each featuring dancers that Smart has personally worked with and captures her fascination with choreographic forms. On the other hand Borgelt’s altered canvases present the duality of light and dark, geometrics and free-form. The Gallery also presents works by Jordan Gogos in the booth and VIP lounge.
The Melbourne Art Fair (MAF) makes a physical comeback from 17 – 20 February, presented at Melbourne’s Convention and Exhibition Centre and featuring 59 gallery booths, six works in its Beyond section, and a dedicated platform of video works from international and local representatives.
In addition, MAF’s 2022 Indigenous Art Centre Program sees leading First Nations galleries exhibiting at the fair for the first time, including Buku-Larrnggay Mulka (Yirrkala, NT), Jilamara Arts & Crafts Association (Milikapiti, Tiwi), Warlayirti Artists (Balgo, WA), Waringarri Aboriginal Art (Kununurra, WA) and Milingimbi Art (Milingimbi, NT).
Perhaps easily missed, video works presented by Subtype and Kaylene Whiskey as part of MAF Commission with ACMI, are housed in dark clothed booths near the entrance. The curated presentation of Beyond, including artists Caroline Rothwell, Navilah Nordic, Sean Melia, Maree Clarke, Sally Smart, and Matt Arbuckle, can be found dotted around the exhibition space, however feels less monumental than expected.
Yet the main stage of the show – the gallery booths – have their fair share of eye dazzling highlights. With the pandemic putting the usual art fair adrenaline on hold for the past two years, this year’s iteration turned to scale with immersive installations to substantial paintings offering that wow. Plus, there’s plenty that calls for a lingering wander.
Here are ArtsHub’s picks for the hottest booths at MAF 2022: Djeembana–Place.
