Melbourne Design Fair set to turn heads this May

Melbourne Design Week’s main event, the Melbourne Design Fair, looks to be even bigger and better in its second year. Presented by the National Gallery of Victoria in collaboration with the Melbourne Art Foundation, the fair will fill 3,000 square metres with limited edition and small batch design including furniture, lighting and more.

The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre will host more than 150 designers in this year’s edition of the fair, where over 60 Australian and international exhibitors including commercial galleries, design agencies, organisations and studios will be offering a plethora of collectible design.

New to the fair this year is the inclusion of presentations in contemporary jewellery, as well as a section curated by the NGV titled DISCOVERY which highlights work by emerging craftsmen and designers. The NGV’s Simone LeAmon, the Hugh Williamson Curator of Contemporary Design and Architecture, has also put together an exhibition within the fair, with FOCUS displaying the works of five female designers and makers.

Several high-profile galleries will be in attendance, including Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert and Martin Browne Contemporary from NSW, Neon Parc, Sophie Gannon Gallery, MARS Gallery from Victoria, and Sullivan+Strumpf with locations in both states.

Other highlights include presentations from the Australian Tapestry Workshop, JamFactory, Canberra Glassworks, Yarrenyty Arltere Artists from the Northern Territory presented by Agency, and Design Tasmania.

‘Melbourne Design Fair is a vital platform for the visibility and viability of Australia’s design industries’, says Tony Ellwood AM, Director of the NGV, ‘after the challenges of the past few years, events like this offer real, tangible support to our sector – and especially to local designers, makers and studios. The NGV is proud to be partnering with the Melbourne Art Foundation on this important initiative and to share Australia’s design talent with an even greater audience.’

Running 18 – 21 May, you can find tickets for the fair on sale now.

For more information, visit the Melbourne Design Fair Website here.