Provided we move to Level 1 on Monday, the highly-anticipated Auckland Art Fair is set to kick off at The Cloud next week, bringing 40 galleries together to present the work of more than 150 artists from around New Zealand (and a handful from Australia and the Pacific Islands). After its 2020 event had to be cancelled, this year’s Art Fair marks a grand return, and with a programme packed with artist talks, commissioned pieces by emerging artists, a new outdoor sculpture space, an art bookshop and more, the line-up certainly reflects it.
This year’s fair will be focused on showcasing the very best of Aotearoa, its carefully curated roster an ode to the wellspring of artistic talent we have in our own backyard (often not as acknowledged as it should be). From galleries like Auckland’s Sanderson Contemporary, which will be showcasing works like Freeman White’s Te Mata: Symphony In Green to galleries like Laree Payne from Hamilton, Jhana Millers from Wellington and Milford Galleries from Dunedin and Queenstown, this year’s participants have the whole country collectively covered. There are even a few notable galleries from Sydney, including Station and Fine Arts, and one from Rarotonga, Bergman Gallery.
Alongside all the action of its gallery stalls, the Art Fair has, for the first time, introduced an outdoor sculpture space, set to take up residence at the end of The Cloud, overlooking the Waitematā Harbour. There, visitors to the fair will be able to peruse incredible sculptural works or take a seat in the sun and enjoy a cocktail from the Scapegrace Gin and Vodka Cocktail Bar.
Other things to note in this year’s line-up include the ‘In Residence’ space on The Cloud’s mezzanine (a new initiative for artist-run galleries to showcase their works), the Projects exhibition, in which the fair provides a platform for a wider range of artists, including those who are unrepresented (one of this year’s project artists, Elisabeth Pointon, will be projecting her piece, WHOEVER, onto the Tiffany & Co. building in Britomart), and the imaginative Squiggla Making Space for kids, upstairs in The Cloud.
Assuming we are all given the green light to return to Level 1 on Monday, this year’s Art Fair is set to be one for the ages. In 2019, the Fair sold more than $9million worth of art and established itself as a significant generator of funds for the artists and galleries who worked so tirelessly to present their best work to the public. So get yourself a ticket and support our talented, local creative community.
Find tickets online now.
To celebrate the highly-anticipated return of Auckland Art Fair, we have a double pass to give away to the opening night on Wednesday, 24th February. To enter the draw to win, simply head to our Instagram. Entrants must be over the age 21, the winner will be drawn on Tuesday, 23rd February.
Auckland Art Fair
24th February – 28th February
The Cloud
89 Quay Street, Auckland
