Sydney Contemporary is back this week, jam-packing more than 1000 artworks into Eveleigh’s sprawling industrial institution, Carriageworks. We got a sneak peek at the 10th edition – here’s what you won’t want to miss.
Sydney Contemporary, a carnival of paintings, installations, sculpture, photography and Pommery champagne (of course), is reminding us why it’s Australia’s leading art fair as it turns 10.
To commemorate the milestone anniversary, the art fair has pulled out all the stops. From expanding its footprint beyond Carriageworks, bringing major installations to Sydney Fish Market and Pier Pavilion, to bringing in Kiwi artist Mike Hewson to transform the Sydney Contemporary Café, the installation program is bigger and better than ever before.
With more than 100 galleries coming together to gather, share and converse in one space, Sydney Contemporary is a great opportunity to deepen your knowledge of Australia’s art scene. Whether you’re looking to invest in some art yourself, or simply want to have a nose around each gallery’s top picks, it makes for the perfect day or evening out.
It is overwhelming, though, and slightly intimidating. With so much art to see, it’s difficult to know where to start. We’ve rounded up the 2026 program highlights, plus the best times to visit, so you can make the most of your time at this year’s ambitious edition.
“Get freaky” at Art Night
If you’re going to visit Sydney Contemporary, the time to do so is on Art Night, aka Thursday, September 3, from 5:30pm.
It’s the official opening celebration of the art fair, meaning artists, collectors and culture lovers assemble to celebrate the start of the four days of contemporary art. Last year’s Art Night completely sold out, thanks to its status as the best night to see Sydney Contemporary.
Curator of installations, performance and public art activations José Da Silva tells us that one highlight will be a special performance from Melbourne-based artistic duo The Huxleys.
Titled Radical Joy, the duo will move from Carriageworks’ exterior into the building wearing their signature costumes, with De Silva stating that anyone looking to “get freaky” should clear their calendar to see this major new performance work.
I’d recommend Art Night if you’re a first-time visitor to Sydney Contemporary, or if you’re interested in art but aren’t quite ready to buy. It’s a chance to soak up the art fair experience with mates and a drink in hand while discovering new artists. It’s the one night when Sydney Contemporary feels more like a party than an art fair.
The highlights
Sydney Contemporary 2026 is all about large and in-charge installations, with twelve huge pieces dotted across Carriageworks. Although wandering through the galleries, you’ll see plenty of incredible art (seriously, there’s a lot), here are some of the special installations and artworks that everyone’s talking about at this year’s Sydney Contemporary.
Two of Billy Apple’s projects at this year’s Sydney Contemporary. (Images: Isabelle James).
Billy Apple’s THE ARTIST HAS TO LIVE LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE
Auckland artist Billy Apple’s legacy continues at Sydney Contemporary this year. The main project is a billboard bearing the statement THE ARTIST HAS TO LIVE LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, which sits on the roof of Carriageworks and can be seen by passers-by. Da Silva labelled it “the anchor to this year’s program”, and it certainly makes a statement with its huge block letters.
Sydney Contemporary attendees will also have the chance to take home the completely free print BILLY APPLE ART FREE FOR THE TAKING, and also purchase a series of T-shirts revisiting his PAID series where receipts from daily living are transformed into existential portraits of the artist’s life.
Mike Hewson’s two installations at Sydney Contemporary. (Images: Isabelle James).
Mike Hewson’s “Mike’s Hot Pit Stop”
We’re already mourning the end of Mike Hewson’s huge takeover of The Tank at the Art Gallery of NSW. If you loved The Key’s Under the Mat, make sure to drop by Hewson’s new Sydney Contemporary Installations: Mike’s Hot Pit Stop and the Frog Pond.
Touching on his interest in public infrastructure and the social encounter, Hewson has transformed the Sydney Contemporary Café, creating shared dining areas and structures that “blur the line between temporary architecture and performance.”
His signature palm trees are dotted throughout the pit stop, as well as around his second installation: a frog-pond fountain tower fashioned from disused construction materials, a watering can and lily pads.
Kirtika Kain’s Midnight
Step into the dark Installation Space next to Photo Sydney and you’ll encounter Kirtika Kain’s behemoth work, Midnight. The piece is an extension of the artist’s investigation into material histories, ancestral memory and the politics of caste, made by taking silicone moulds from paintings in Kain’s studio and recasting their surfaces in tar and hessian.
Louis Grant’s end to end
Australian artist Louis Grant has created some of the most stunning glass sculptures, one of which takes centre stage at the entrance to Sydney Contemporary. Make sure to look out for end to end (with storms in my eyes), which resembles cascading tears tied by string to bricks on the floor.
He uses glass to explore queer embodiment, stating, “Glass is never completely stable. I’m drawn to that instability as a way of thinking about queer bodies, relationships and experience: how things hold together, resist pressure and depend on one another.”
Alex Seton’s A Person of Substance (Life Size)
Another installation that you’ll see as soon as you enter Sydney Contemporary: Alex Seton’s A Person of Substance (Life Size).
The huge white puffer jacket sits inside three blue walls, with three mirrors facing it. The sculpture reflects on the desire for protection and comfort in an age shaped by disinformation, AI-generated imagery and environmental damage.
Seton states, “The puffer jacket is familiar, protective and soft, but it is also bound up with consumption, environmental consequences and the stories we tell ourselves about our own comfort.”
MA Prize Winner, Renée Estée
Make sure to stop by and admire the three-metre, MA Prize-winning piece by Renée Estée, titled Empty Nest (we all wait for someone). Estée, who received $25,000 in prize money, described the win as “life-changing”, and with a record number of submissions for the art prize this year, it’s an incredible accomplishment.
How do I get tickets?
As previously mentioned, one of the best nights in the art world’s calendar is Art Night, the action-packed opener for Sydney Contemporary each year. You can grab a ticket for the biggest night of the fair for $75.
The other special event is Friday Night, kicking off from 4pm for four hours of culture, cuisine and creativity. Live music soundtracks a scene of food and drink pop-ups while all sections remain open. Tickets for that one are set at $50.
If you just want to head along during the day, General Admission tickets are $40. This includes access to all exhibitions and public programs scheduled during your chosen day.
You can purchase your tickets for Sydney Contemporary 2026 here
Sydney Contemporary 2026
Where: Carriageworks, 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh NSW 2015.
When: September 3-6.
Price: Tickets from $40.
