Alternating between Sydney and Melbourne every year, SPRING1883 is a calendar favourite that offers a different experience to your traditional, white-booth art fair.
Whether you are a returning fan or spring fledgling, here is why you should check out this eccentric event.
1. It’s where history rubs shoulders with the now
It’s no small logistical feat to throw a full scale art fair in one of Melbourne’s most iconic historic landmarks, the 142-year-old Hotel Windsor with its lavish Victorian decor and story-filled corridors.
2025 will also be a significant milestone for SPRING1883, crossing the decade-old threshold and continuing to bring unique contemporary art encounters to visitors. Fair Director and Co-Founder Kate Barber told ArtsHub in an earlier interview: ‘Initially, we weren’t sure how long the fair would keep going, whether people would get tired of coming back, but in fact they do.’
2. Feel what it’s like to live with art
That blend of the historic and contemporary just keeps on giving, with art lined up from the bedroom to the bathroom in a myriad of creative ways that feel intimate.
SPRING1883 gives people a sense of what it’s like to live with art, rather than simply being a platform for purchasing it. Sit in an armchair and admire a painting, or look in the mirror and find a sculptural work framing your reflection – these are experiences hard to come by anywhere else.
3. Explore new galleries and make the connection
SPRING1883 has always taken quite a curated approach to its participating galleries for each iteration, presenting a variety of well-established spaces as well as new ones.
This year, watch out for up and coming galleries like Strawberry (Melbourne), Animal House Fine Art (Melbourne), NAP Contemporary (Mildura) and China Heights Gallery (Sydney).
When visitors and gallerists/ artists are in the same small hotel room, it’s hard not to talk (or at least make eye contact). Again, remember the number one rule of an art fair is: don’t be afraid to ask questions.
SPRING1883 is the perfect opportunity to find out more, get introduced to the maker behind the masterpiece, and follow where your curiosity takes you.
SPRING1883 returns from 13-16 August at The Hotel Windsor.
Full list of participating galleries:
- 1301SW, Naarm/Melbourne & Gadigal Country/Sydney
- ALPHA60, Project Room, Naarm/Melbourne
- Animal House Fine Arts, Naarm/Melbourne
- Arts Project Australia, Naarm/Melbourne
- BAProjects, Naarm/Melbourne
- CAVES, Naarm/Melbourne
- CHALK HORSE, Gadigal Country/Sydney
- China Heights Gallery, Gadigal Country/Sydney
- Darren Knight Gallery, Gadigal Country/Sydney
- Five Walls, Naarm/Melbourne
- Föenander Galleries, Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, NZ
- FUTURES, Naarm/Melbourne
- Haydens, Naarm/Melbourne
- Jacob Hoerner Galleries, Naarm/Melbourne
- Kalli Rolfe Contemporary Art, Naarm/Melbourne
- LAILA, Gadigal Country/Sydney
- Lennox St. Gallery, Naarm/Melbourne
- LON Gallery, Naarm/Melbourne
- MAGMA Galleries, Naarm/Melbourne
- MARS Gallery, Naarm/Melbourne
- Mary Cherry Contemporary, Naarm/Melbourne
- Michael Lett, Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, Aotearoa NZ
- Murray White Room, Naarm/Melbourne
- NAP Contemporary, Latji Latji Country/Mildura
- Neon Parc, Naarm/Melbourne
- Niagara Galleries, Naarm/Melbourne
- Nicholas Thompson Gallery, Naarm/Melbourne
- PAULNACHE, Tūranganui-a-Kiwa/Gisborne, Aotearoa NZ
- Project8, Naarm/Melbourne
- Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Gadigal Country/Sydney
- Sarah Scout Presents, Naarm/Melbourne
- Sullivan+ Strumpf, Naarm/Melbourne, Gadigal Country/Sydney & Singapore
- Strawberry, Naarm/Melbourne
- THIS IS NO FANTASY, Naarm/Melbourne
- Void_Melbourne, Naarm/Melbourne
Discover more arts, games and screen reviews on ArtsHub and ScreenHub.
Also on ArtsHub: Sydney Contemporary announces largest fair to date including inaugural Photo Sydney
Billed as the most ambitious edition of the art fair to date and featuring 114 exhibitors from Australia, New Zealand and beyond, Sydney Contemporary launched its new program today (Wednesday 4 June).
The art fair – showcasing over 1000 new works by over 500 contemporary artists – will also feature curated programs, including installation contemporary, performance contemporary, talks and kid contemporary.