Coveted Collectible Design – Melbourne Design Fair by the National Gallery of Victoria and Melbourne Art Foundation

An electrifying convergence of artists and collectors is set to delight in Melbourne this March with the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) announcing the launch of Melbourne Design Fair, presented in collaboration with the Melbourne Art Foundation.

“The NGV and the Melbourne Art Foundation joining forces for Melbourne Design Fair showcases Melbourne’s best talents while creating economic opportunity for local designers,” explains Acting Minister for Creative Industries, Martin Pakula. “Melbourne Design Fair will be a highlight of Melbourne Design Week 2022.” Open from 16 – 20 March 2022, the innovative initiative is supported by the Victorian Government and will take place as a standout event of Melbourne Design Week.

The inaugural presentation will showcase pieces from Australia’s leading emerging and established contemporary designers and design-makers.

A meaningful moment for the Australian design landscape, Tony Ellwood AM, Director of the National Gallery of Victoria declares that “Bringing together the design sector and its supporters for the very first time, this event is a unique proposition in Australia and proudly positions design as an integral part of the artistic and fiscal vitality of our creative industries.” Presented as a prodigious opportunity for the showcase and sale of the country’s most coveted collectible design, Abbotsford’s Warehouse 16 will house the event – an innovative coming together of designers, collectors and ardent art lovers alike in a milieu of creative appreciation. “Collectible design invites us to explore and contemplate Australian material culture through the convergence of ideas, materials and making,” explains Simone LeAmon, NGV’s Hugh Williamson Curator of Contemporary Design and Architecture, “which is what makes the Melbourne Design Fair an event not to be missed.”

The inaugural presentation will showcase pieces from Australia’s leading emerging and established contemporary designers and design-makers. “In response to the increasing demand from collectors to have access to highly collectable contemporary design on Australian shores,” Maree Di Pasquale, CEO of Melbourne Art Foundation says that “the Fair will be a true celebration of design culture and commerce in this country.”

The Melbourne Design Fair will proudly exhibit its prized pieces across two platforms.

The Melbourne Design Fair will proudly exhibit its prized pieces across two platforms. PRESENT sees 13 of Australia’s leading galleries, design organisations, agencies and studios display the works of creatives they represent. Curated by NGV, PRESENT features Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert, Sophie Gannon Gallery, Studio Roland Snooks, Sullivan+Strumpf, Broached Commissions, Agency Projects, Christopher Boots, C. Gallery, Craft, JamFactory, Local Design, Modern Times and Design Tasmania. The second exhibition, SELECT, is a hand-picked presentation of over 35 Australian design luminaries and rising stars curated by Simone.

Describing the event as, “a platform for investment and innovation,” Maree remarks that, “Melbourne Design Fair will bring together the region’s most influential designers and makers, collectors, curators and critics to cultivate a new commercial market for collectable design.” Encouraging insight and discovery, the Fair incorporates the exhibition and sale of pieces from Australia and New Zealand, including a program of talks to offer commentary on the contemporary collectible scene and a peek into the design practices of participating creatives.

Open from 16 – 20 March 2022, the innovative initiative is supported by the Victorian Government and will take place as a standout event of Melbourne Design Week.

The Melbourne Design Fair presents a rare opportunity for the procurement of limited edition and one-of-a kind collectable works, prompting the meeting of premier design with prospective acquirers. Ticket sales and a complete program of participating galleries, designers and events will be announced in early February.