New Melbourne Art Fair director Melissa Loughnan unleashes all-female curatorial team for boundary-pushing showcase of First Nations talent.
If you thought the Melbourne Art Fair was just another fancy-pants art show for collectors to stroke their chins at, think again. The 2025 edition is shaking things up with a massive emphasis on First Peoples artists and an all-female curatorial lineup that’s ready to turn the art world on its head.
Taking over the Melbourne Convention Centre this February 20-23, the fair’s new director Melissa Loughnan isn’t mucking around. She’s packed 9,000 square meters with boundary-pushing works from over 100 artists, including a seriously impressive showcase of Victorian First Nations talent.
Melbourne Art Fair
- February 20 to 23, 2025
- Melbourne Convention Centre
- Tickets are on sale now
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The headline-grabber is the Victorian First Peoples Art and Design Fair preview, featuring 38 local Indigenous artists and designers. It’s basically a sneak peek at what’s coming in 2027 when the full fair kicks off.
Co-curators Janina Harding and Dr Jessica Clark have pulled together everything from traditional weaving to contemporary digital works, proving Victorian First Nations art is way more diverse than most people realise.
Speaking of wild stuff, Paul Yore‘s bringing a bejewelled hearse (yes, you read that right) as part of the BEYOND installation series. The VIDEO sector’s also looking mint, with Rachel Ciesla curating a bunch of mind-bending moving image works, including pieces from late legend Destiny Deacon.
For the emerging gallery heads, the Young Galleries section has doubled in size, now featuring 19 spaces mixing it up with the big dogs. Loughnan, who used to run her own indie gallery, is making sure these newcomers get just as much attention as the established players.
The fair had also commissioned two major new works. Dawn Ng’s creating some trippy time-based piece involving melting coloured ice blocks (which will end up in QAGOMA’s collection), while Aotearoa artist Yona Lee’s cooking up what sounds like a massive sculptural installation that’ll eventually live at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery.
If you’re keen to get your hands dirty, there’s a stack of workshops running throughout the fair. Arts Project Australia‘s hosting some pretty sweet sessions where you can try everything from digital drawing to “zombifying” soft toys (whatever that means). They’ve even got treasure hunts for the kids, complete with sticker prizes.
Can’t make it IRL? The whole thing’s going virtual from February 20 to March 6, so you can check out the goods from your couch. Though honestly, with Paul Yore’s bedazzled hearse and Dawn Ng’s melting ice blocks on show, you might want to witness this one in person.
Between the First Nations focus, female leadership, and general weirdness level, MAF 2025 is shaping up to be less buttoned-up art fair, more cultural revolution. Get around it.
Get your tickets to the Melbourne Art Fair here.