Sales or Scene: Judging the success of Sydney Contemporary

With opening night crowds estimated at 12,000, Australia’s newest fair could be hailed a success.
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How do you call the success of an art fair?

It is an interesting question and one that is not answered simply. While the immediate response would be sales driven, most dealers approach art fairs as a broader P.R. exercise, with the ultimate focus of drawing attention to their artists and widening their collector base. Sales are just the golden lining.

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Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina