Become an art collector for as little as $100

An art fair for those that don’t feel entirely comfortable in the art world is coming to Sydney.

An art fair for those that don’t feel entirely comfortable in the art world is coming to Sydney.

From July 21 to 24, Saatchi Art will bring The Other Art Fair to The Cutaway at Barangaroo. It’s art without the impenetrable elitism, with accessible and affordable works (starting at $100) from 120 contemporary artists. 

For the sheepish and the meek: The Other Art Fair will have all the prices clearly displayed. You won’t have to lose your dignity backing out of a purchase that cost a month's salary (or find yourself in crippling debt because you’re too shy to say no.) 

In addition to art, there will also be live DJ sets presented by Musicland, with performances from Naj, Adam Bozzetto, Dan Dickinson and Mr Chad; performances and life drawings courtesy of the crew from Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School; tattooing by Stefan Stjepanovic and Nah Mate Pokes; and pop-up bars and food trucks galore. 

The Oz spoke with fair director Luke Potkin about the must-see artists and installations set to exhibit this week. 

Installation - I Drew A Line And Called It Home by Anastasia Parmson

Sydney-based artist Anastasia Parmson creates detailed drawings of domestic interiors. After receiving her Master’s in Visual Arts from Strasbourg University in 2019, she travelled extensively across sea, land, and in-between. 

Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at Bathurst Regional Art Gallery and MAY SPACE Gallery in Australia, Megan Dickinson Gallery in New Zealand, Tallinn Light Biennale in Estonia, Apollonia Art Exchanges in France, and more. 

“I Drew a Line and Called it Home” takes that simplest idea of a black line on a white page, something we have all experimented with at one point in time, and turns it up to 11,” says Luke Potkin.  

“At first you feel like your eyes are deceiving you but on closer inspection, you discover a captivating and immersive masterpiece, the full interior of a home to explore. 

“The simplicity of it and the blanked-out space allows the viewer to project their own image and memories of home into the space and it is this that gives it that sense of nostalgia. It gives us permission to call it home too.”

Installation - Dinner is Served by Tianli Zu

Australian award-winning multimedia artist Tianli Zu was born in Beijing, China. She travelled to Shaanxi Provence in the 1980s and learned paper-cutting from folk artists. Her work explores folklore embedded with Chinese tradition and culture, with an emphasis on Taoist philosophy. 

Tianli creates large-scale papercuts by hand, which she marries with cinematic animation projections that explore the history and the present. 

“The pen may be mightier than the sword, but in Tianli’s case the blade is mightier than the paintbrush,” says Hopkin. “Her intricate and detailed hand-cut paper masterpieces are something to behold and her work is rich in narrative, often serving up a delicate blend of light and shade.” 

ARTISTS EXHIBITING YOU SHOULD KEEP AN EYE ON

Dilara Niriella 

Sydney-based artist Dilara Nirella is a painter specialising in still life and portraiture. Dilara graduated from UNSW Art and Design in 2020 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours.) She won the Young Archies in 2016 and the Mosman Youth Art Competition in 2018. 

“Dilara is a hugely impressive talent. Her work depicts incredibly detailed paintings exploring the every day,” says Hopkin. “Dilara clearly relishes creating that moment of connection between people and her work by conjuring up masterpieces of the mundane, something that sparks instant familiarity and nostalgia” 

Kasia Frankowicz 

Sydney-based artist Kasia Frankowicz is an artist & designer who works both in digital and analogue media. Self-described as an “anti-art-artist turned faux satanist, Kasia’s work explores human existence, sexuality, religion, spirituality, and pseudoscience. 

“Kasia’s work is fun, playful, vibrant, tongue-in-cheek and, at times, outright naughty. But you shouldn’t make the mistake of letting that playfulness distract you from the fact she very much has something to say…if not shout,” says Hopkin. “Tackling themes of queerness, femininity, patriarchy, religious dogma and everything in between all with her own charactistic flair and flambouyance. Her work will bring a wry smile to your face but humour is a great way to convey the big ideas.” 

Bryan Mew

Hong Kong-born Australian artist Bryan Mew uses digital and analogue techniques to explore the digital era. Bryan studied painting at RMIT Melbourne, and his artworks explore and critique the relevance that the medium has in the 21st century. 

“We’re increasingly seeing artists that have historically worked in traditional mediums begin to explore the possibilities of digital art. Bryan’s work is something to behold as it reflects the exact reverse of this dynamic,” says Hopkin. “It’s so exciting to see how Bryan’s work intercepts with digital technology to influence his figurative work with pain.

“Painted images are integrated with artificial intelligence and through machine learning altogether new images are created. Bryan then uses the AI-generated images as a baseline for when he adds paint to canvas. The end results are striking and ethereal and demonstrate Bryan’s way of exploring the way technology influences the human condition.” 

Henryk Lobaczewski 

Sydney-based artist Henryk Lobaczewski’s background is in fashion photography, shooting editorials, advertisements, and campaigns across the world. His highly-textured, abstract paintings are inspired by the tones and colours of fashion magazines. 

“Henryk’s masterpieces were the result of a lockdown experiment gone very, very right,” says Hopkin. He uses a concrete polymer material to shape irresistibly textural work and somehow takes a material that is universally grey as the backdrop for unmatched colour, with vibrance that is second to none.”

The Other Art Fair will exhibit at The Cutaway from Thursday, July 21 to Sunday, July 24. For tickets, head to the website.