Melbourne Art Fair 2026
Melbourne Art Fair 2026 ran from February 19–22 and welcomed record crowds through the doors of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event marked the 20th anniversary of the Melbourne Art Foundation Commission and saw the debut of a new design salon, Futureobjekt, dedicated to collectible Australian design.
Over 20,000 visitors attended the Melbourne Art Fair over four days, surpassing previous attendance records. More than 60 galleries and Indigenous-owned art centres were represented at the 2026 fair, featuring a wide range of works by artists, from emerging to established, including Archibald Prize winner Julie Fragar and household names such as the late Sidney Nolan and Mirka Mora. “This year’s fair marked a significant milestone for the local art market, delivering record sales and attendance. It was particularly encouraging to see strong engagement from both established collectors and a new generation entering Australia’s art market,” says fair director Melissa Loughnan.
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Melbourne Art Foundation Commission, Cosmo McMurtry by New Zealand artist Michael Parekōwhai – the inaugural commissioned work in 2006 – was installed as a reminder of the foundation’s commitment to commissioning powerful new work. First unveiled at Melbourne Art Fair two decades ago, the giant eight-metre-tall inflatable rabbit returned in 2026 to again provoke “questions around a particular time in our collective past, the fallout of colonisation and the reframing of national symbols as trash or treasure – or both,” says Parekōwhai.
This year, Melbourne artist and designer Anna Varendorff received the inaugural MAF X NGV Design Commission for her installation U lights and vases, 2025. Working under the moniker ACV Studio since 2013, Varendorff’s practice spans sculpture, lighting design, jewellery and objects characterised by pared-back tubular forms made from brass and steel. Drawing on her signature craft, Varendorff created U lights and vases – an installation of ceiling lights, suspended vases and overscale floor vessels that form a rhythmic composition of grounded and suspended elements – objects that both emit light and hold florals. “The commission has given me a chance to create work at a scale that I wouldn’t normally have the ability to. It’s an opportunity to expand my ideas and hopefully amplify the final experience of the work” says Varendorff.
The debut of Futureobjekt – conceived as a platform for the most compelling ideas in contemporary design, architecture and crafted objects – was another highlight of the 2026 fair. Curated by Andy Kelly, co-founder of independent commercial gallery Oigåll Projects and Melbourne Art Fair’s director of collectible design, Futureobjekt exhibited work by 20 of Australia’s leading designers and studios. “The opening day of Melbourne Art Fair heralded the bold start of a new design experience in Australia,” says Kelly. “It’s quite humbling to have seen Futureobjekt be so enthusiastically embraced by the community.”
Two celebrated Melbourne designers contributed to activations at this year’s fair; Brahman Perera designed the Champagne Bollinger Bar, while Broached Commissions created the VIP Lounge, which focused on floral art. For the inaugural Champagne Bollinger Bar, Perera conceived a spatial intervention that carved out a distinct milieu within the broader atmosphere of the fair. Meanwhile, the VIP Lounge offered an immersive environment that transported visitors into an alternate world where 18th-century paintings on vellum met AI digital speculations on flora and living floral installations. Floral works by Hattie Molloy sat alongside sculptural furniture by K5, accompanied by an ambient soundscape of abstracted natural environments produced by artist k8 mo5. “We are excited to curate a VIP Lounge around a set theme and work with Hattie and k8 mo55 to add more sensory layers to the space. Our desire was to bring warmth and calm to the space,” says Lou Weis, founder of Broached Commissions.
With record visitor numbers, $16,400,000 in reported sales across four days, the launch of several new initiatives and a wide-ranging conversation program, Melbourne Art Fair continued to build momentum in 2026. “This year’s fair marked a significant milestone for the local art market, delivering record sales and attendance,” says Loughnan. “It was particularly encouraging to see strong engagement from both established collectors and a new generation entering Australia’s art market.”
