Sydney Contemporary announces largest fair to date including inaugural Photo Sydney

Billed as the most ambitious edition of the art fair to date and featuring 114 exhibitors from Australia, New Zealand and beyond, Sydney Contemporary launched its new program today (Wednesday 4 June).

The art fair – showcasing over 1000 new works by over 500 contemporary artists – will also feature curated programs, including installation contemporary, performance contemporary, talks and kid contemporary.

In a major new development, Sydney Contemporary 2025 – presented in partnership with Principal Partner MA Financial Group and hosted by presenting partner Carriageworks from 11-14 September – includes the premiere of the dedicated section for photography, Photo Sydney.

“We’re thrilled to announce our largest fair to date and thank our exhibitors both old and new as Sydney Contemporary couldn’t happen each year without their support,” says Sydney Contemporary founder and co-owner Tim Etchells.

“We’ve long wanted to broaden the Fair’s focus on photography, and we’re delighted to finally bring Photo Sydney to life. This new sector is a direct response to the many collectors who’ve visited the Fair over the years, asking to see a wider representation of photographic work. As Australasia’s premier art fair, we are constantly evolving to reflect trends in the market and provide access to the best contemporary art in the region and beyond across all mediums.”

What is Photo Sydney?

Photo Sydney will offer visitors a dedicated sector showcasing the breadth and vitality of contemporary photography, alongside the art fair’s Works on Paper, Future and Galleries programs.

Created in direct response to collector demand, Photo Sydney will provide a focused and commercial platform to the photographic medium, with inaugural exhibitors including Alexia Sinclair (Bowral), Australian Galleries (Sydney/Melbourne), Blender Gallery (Sydney), Caterina Pacialeo and Tina FiveAsh (Sydney), Christopher Ireland (Sydney), Head On Photo Festival (Sydney), John Marmaras and John Gollings (Sydney),Oculi Collective (Sydney), Olsen (Sydney), Paul Blackmore (Byron Bay), Photo Access (Canberra), sandyprints (Sydney), Simon Harsent (Sydney) and Toby Burrows (Sydney).

Read: Photographic installation responding to Australian Queer Archives wins $100,000 Ramsay Art Prize

Advising the development and curation of Photo Sydney is Sandy Edwards (photographer and former Director of Stills Gallery) – inaugural exhibitors have been selected by the Photo Sydney Selection Committee: Margot Riley (Curator, State Library of NSW), Merilyn Fairskye (artist and former Board member, Australian Centre for Photography), Gael Newton (Australian art historian and curator) and Alasdair Foster (writer, researcher and award-winning curator).

About Sydney Contemporary

Since its foundation in 2013, Sydney Contemporary has regularly attracted over 25,000 visitors at each edition, recording a total of over $138 million in art sales since its launch.

The 2025 line-up showcases galleries from across Australia and New Zealand, as well as international exhibitors from Hong Kong, the US, UK, Korea and Indonesia. See the full list of participating galleries (as of 4 June) below.

A number of new galleries will be exhibiting at Sydney Contemporary 2025 for the first time. Animal House Fine Arts (Melbourne), Nasha Gallery (Sydney) and Velvet Lobster (Sydney) will be showing in the Future sector of the fair, alongside returning galleries C. Gallery (Melbourne), Minerva, (Sydney), Five Walls Gallery (Melbourne) and Jennings Kerr (Robertson, NSW).

Read: The 2025 art fair calendar

Exhibiting galleries will showcase Australian, Indigenous and international, art and are a significant drawcard for high-profile collectors and visitors in the region. The presentations will feature artists from countries around the world including Australia, New Zealand, China, South Korea, India, Mexico, Germany, Canada, the UK, Italy, Poland and more.

The ninth edition of Sydney Contemporary will see an expanded Works on Paper sector with 30 exhibitors, presented in association with The Print Council of Australia Inc and curated by its Director Akky van Ogtrop. Works on Paper showcases the best of national and international contemporary works on paper, printmaking, watercolours, drawings, artists’ books, photographs and zines, ranging from $100 to over $5000.

Installation Contemporary and Performance Contemporary 2025 programs will be curated by Director of UNSW Galleries, Chair of University Art Museums Australia and Exhibitions Editor of The Art Newspaper, José da Silva.

Returning curators of the Talks program are Micheal Do, Curator of Contemporary Art at the Sydney Opera House and Stephen Todd, Design Editor of Australian Financial Review. Details of these programs will be announced in the coming months.

Read: Guide to making the most of art fairs

Sydney Contemporary Fair Director Zoe Paulsen says, “Sydney Contemporary continues to set the benchmark as the leading art fair in Australia, and this year’s edition marks an exciting evolution and significant step forward with the launch of Photo Sydney. Our dynamic new sector will bring critical focus to the richness and diversity of contemporary photography, offering a dedicated platform for established and emerging voices in the medium. With the return of our flagship curated sectors and programs, including an expanded Works on Paper presentation, we’re proud to present a truly global platform for contemporary art and look forward to welcoming audiences back to Carriageworks this September for the largest edition of Sydney Contemporary to date.”

Sydney Contemporary 2025 gallery list (as of 4 June 2025) 

Galleries

The main sector of the Fair provides a significant platform for solo or group exhibitions by leading galleries.

Photo Sydney

An inaugural showcase highlighting the breadth and vitality of contemporary photography.

Future

A dynamic platform for young galleries or Artist Run Initiatives which have been operating for five years or less, presenting curated solo or duo artist exhibitions of new work.

Works on paper

Presented in association with The Print Council of Australia Inc, Works on Paper showcases the best of contemporary printmaking and works on paper.

Learn more about Sydney Contemporary 2025, running from 11-14 September on Gadigal County at Carriageworks, Everleigh.