Sydney Contemporary announces Sydney Contemporary Presents 2020

To assist the arts community and respond to the havoc COVID-19 has wrought on the art world, Sydney Contemporary art fair has announced Sydney Contemporary Presents, an online platform which will host more than 450 new artworks created in 2020.

Watch our writers and critics delve into select works presented at Sydney Contemporary Presents 2020 in conversation with the artists here. 

“2020 has been an extraordinary year on many levels,” says Tim Etchells, founder of Sydney Contemporary. “We believe it is important – now more than ever – to support artists and the arts community and have created this new digital initiative specifically to do so. Whilst we are disappointed not to hold a physical fair this year, we believe Sydney Contemporary Presents 2020 will give people a positive takeaway from what has been a challenging year.”

More than 380 artists have submitted works to the project, with many engaging with the consequences of the extensive changes Australia and the world has confronted this year. The project encompasses a range of media, including painting, drawing, photography, video, mixed-media, virtual reality and sculpture. Many were created during lockdowns, necessitating innovation where studios and materials were inaccessible.

Abdul Abdullah, the artist engaged to design the logo for the project, sums up the experience: “It has been a strange time for everyone, and artists are no exception. I think we’ve all had a chance for self-reflection, and I think the uncertainty will forge new creative pathways going forward.”

Viewers will navigate an artist-led journey through the pieces, which are displayed on an experiential “choose-your-own-adventure” platform as opposed to a conventional online viewing room. The project will launch on the 1 October 2020, and new works will be added each week until it concludes at the end of the month.

Featured artists include:

A & A, Abdul Abdullah, Daniel Agdag, Zico Albaiquni, Jan Albers, Gretchen Albrecht, Giles Alexander, Rick Amor, Dolores Delia Anchorena, Alison Anderson, Gen Anderson, John Anderson, Kim Anderson, Sally Anderson, Brook Andrew, Olympia Antoniadis, Matt Arbuckle, Doug Argue, Hany Armanious, Dan Arps, Atong Atem, Ari Athans, Kelly Austin, Cigdem Aydemir, Aida Azin, Billy Bain, Kate Baker, Kate Ballis, Glenn Barkley, Elizabeth Barnett, Mary Barton, Martin Basher, Lyndall Beck, Whitney Bedford, Clare Belfrage, Merrick Belyea, Maria Jose Benvenuto, Neil Binnie, Stephen Bird, Fabrizio Biviano, Karen Black, Darren Blackman, Richard Blackwell, Blakey, Joshua Bonson, Ross Booker, David Booth, Marion Borgelt, Alexander Boynes, Joanna Braithwaite, Angela Brennan, Glennys Briggs, Dean Brown, Andrew Browne, Matthew Browne, Penny Byrne, Cardwell+McLachlan, Anna Carey, August Carpenter, Genevieve Carroll, Cosimo Casoni, Consuelo Cavaniglia, Joshua Charadia, Glen Clarke, Coady, Paul Connor, Lottie Consalvo, Nancy Constandelia, Penny Coss, Giacomo Costa, Tony Costa, Nellie Coulthard, Matthew Couper, Marian Crawford, Dean Cross, Jedda-Daisy Culley, Helen Curtis, Patrick Dagg, Katie Daniels, Carme Dapena, Peter Daverington, Barbara A Davidson, Gerwyn Davies, Paul Davies, Juan Davila, Debra Dawes, Isabelle De Kleine, Jimmy Donegan, Blak Douglas, Matt Draper, Mark Dubner, Anna Dudek, Stephen Dupont, Susie Dureau, Helen Eager, Anna Eggert, Dan Elborne, Troy Emery, Denise Faulkner, Aaron Fell-Fracasso, Nick Ferguson, Robert Fielding, Stevie Fieldsend, Danica Firulovic, Tina FiveAsh, Julia Flanagan, Prudence Flint, John Foubister, Julie Fragar, Dale Frank, Cathy Franzi, Murray Fredericks, Todd Fuller, Adrienne Gaha, Joel Gailer, Martino Gamper, Scott Gardiner, Amos Gebhardt, Teelah George, Witjiti George, Alex Gibson, Tarryn Gill, Silvi Glattauer, Henrik Godsk, Tamika Grant-Iramu, Donna Green, Holly Greenwood, Matthew Griffin, Lucas Grogan, Celia Gullett, Chelsea Gustafasson, Joe Guymala, Cameron Haas, Neil Haddon, Fiona Hall, Patrick Hall, Sue Hanckel, Julienne Harris, Patrick Hartigan, Katherine Hattam, Glen Hayward, Christine Healy, Belynda Henry, Bill Henson, Nadia Hernandez, Sophia Hewson, Annarie Hildebrand, Bronwyn Hill, Kit Hiller, John Hinds, Fiona Hiscock, Mark Hislop, Greg Hodge, Giles Hohnen, Sam Holt, Ronnie van Hout, Mark Howson, Andrea Huelin, Todd Hunter, Wayne Hutchins, Alan Ibell, Emily Imeson, Harley Ives, Nicolas Ives, Li Jin, Rhi Johnson, Col Jordan, Kate Just, Joanna Kambourian, Ash Keating, David Keeling, Nicole Kelly, Therese Kenyon, Jordy Kerwick, Mason Kimber, Barbara Kitallides, Juz Kitson, Geoff Kleem, Petra Kleinherne, Jasper Knight, Waldemar Kolbusz, Heather Wunjara Koowootha, Ildiko Kovacs, Graham Kuo, Joanna Lamb, Zac Langdon-Pole, Chris Langlois, Brigita Lastauskaite, Christine Launay, Janet Laurence, Erin Lawlor, Carly Le Cerf, Jacob Leary, Lindy Lee, Virginia Leonard, Richard Lewer, Fang Lijun, Cheralyn Lim, Chunyan Lin, Tony Lloyd, Rosie Lloyd Giblett, Honey Long and Prue Stent, Camie Lyons, Sammy Lyons, Glen Mackie (Kei Kalak), Guy Maestri, Jeff Makin, Avril Makula, Margaret Manchee, Mac Mansfield, Noŋgirrŋa Marawili, India Mark, Addison Marshall, Dani Marti, Judy Martin, Jonathan McBurnie, Ron McBurnie, Sarah McConnell, AHC McDonald, Darren McDonald, Joseph McGlennon, Laith McGregor, Noel McKenna, Alexander McKenzie, Dani McKenzie, Ben McKeown, Tim McMonagle, Lara Merrett, Sue Michael, Josephine Mick, Eleanor Millard, Karen Mills, Rachael Mipantjiti Lionel, Tracey Moffatt, Joanne WL Morris, Anne Morrison, James Morrison, Sarah Mosca, Nick Mount, Pierre Mukeba, Irene Namok, Felicity Nampijinpa Robertson, Kitty Napanangka Simon, Ursula Napangardi Marks, Karen Neal, Nell, Catherine Nelson, Kate Newby, Elizabeth Newman, Mylyn Nguyen, Mike Nichols, Tomislav Nikolic, Michelle Nikou, Adam Norton, Evi O, Luke Ryan O’Connor, Catherine O’Donnell, Tom O’Hern, Daniel O’Shane, Jenny Orchard, Maria Josette Orsto, Deborah Paauwe, Jahnne Pasco-White, Robert ‘Tommy’ Pau, Katya Petetskaya, Jason Phu, Jenny Pollak, Tom Polo, Zoe Porter, Mike Portley, Al Poulet, Jaime Powell, Madeleine Preston, John Prince Siddon, Bundit Puangthong, Elizabeth Pulie, Marisa Purcell, Angelina Pwerle, Ben Quilty, Jude Rae, Jane du Rand, Jacky Redgate, Bronwyn Rees, Lisa Reihana, Trudy Rice, Elliat Rich, Margaret Richards, Lucienne Rickard, Brad Rimmer, Julia Ritson, Yvonne Robert, Lynne Roberts-Goodwin, Justine Roche, Dexter Rosengrave, Gideon Rubin, JK Russ, Nuha Saad, Melinda Schawel, Luke Sciberras, Nicola Scott, Lisa Sewards, Ann Shelton, Margie Sheppard, Jeannette Siebols, Anneke Silver, Sally Smart, James Smeaton, Braddon Snape, Paul Snell, Georgia Spain, Valerie Sparks, Loribelle Spirovski, Stephen Spurrier, Vipoo Srivilasa, Georgia Steele, Kylie Stillman, Vanessa Stockard, Alison Stone, Mervyn Street, Jennifer Stuerzl, Roger Swainston, Robyn Sweaney, Imogen Taylor, Karyn Taylor, Jelena Telecki, Carlene Thompson, Elizabeth Thomson, George Tjungurrayi, Jasmine Togo-Brisby, Aida Tomescu, Marian Tubbs, Louise Tuckwell, Sheyne Tuffery, Lucy Vader, Angela Valamanesh, Michael Vale, Jane Valentine, William Versace, Trevor Vickers, Daniel Walbidi, Jake Walker, John R Walker, Anne Wallace, Caroline Walls, Oliver Watts, Guan Wei, Nicole Welch, Jo White, Justene Williams, Bettina Willner-Browne, Jason Wing, Philip Wolfhagen, Evan Woodruffe, Alice Wormald, Djirrirra Wunungmurra, Geng Xue, Tiger Yaltangki, Trish Yates, Joshua Yeldham, Peng Yong, Myles Young, Yaritji Young, Seung Yul Oh, Djerrkngu Yunupingu, Christopher Zanko and Caroline Zilinksy.

For more information, visit Sydney Contemporary Presents’ website here.

For an in-depth look at some of the pieces on display and information straight from the artists, head to Art Collector’s Pull Focus video series. Watch this space for more details.

Image: Adam Norton, WIN, 2020. Synthetic polymer paint on aluminium, diameter 110cm, depth 10cm. Courtesy: the artist, Galerie pompom and Sydney Contemporary.