Over 10,000 Visitors Flock to Melbourne Art Fair Viewing Rooms
The online event was organised after the physical fair was postponed until 2021.
Clara Adolphs, Stillness (2020). Oil on linen. Courtesy the artist and Chalk Horse.
Melbourne Art Fair's Online Viewing Rooms received over 10,000 visitors when they went live June 1–7. Hosted by Ocula, the Viewing Rooms were covered by both Australian arts media and general interest magazines and newspapers including Timeout and The Age.
Ocula Magazine picked out seven artwork highlights for the event, including Ken Sisters' Collaborative, Seven Sisters 2-20 (2020) at Jan Murphy Gallery, and Ali McCann's Young and Insurgent (After Benedetta) (2019) at kleinerfelt.
'The online viewing room was a success in that we sold works to new collectors and had many enquiries on our works,' said James Kerr, Director of Chalk Horse gallery. The gallery sold all five works by Clara Adolphs they exhibited, including Stillness (2020), pictured top.
'We are continually looking at ways to better support our galleries and foster the development of a healthy and sustainable arts ecosystem,' said Maree Di Pasquale, CEO and Fair Director, Melbourne Art Fair. 'We are proud to have worked with Ocula to deliver an innovative digital solution that was so well received by the artworld and recognised for its efforts to continue the contemporary art discussion in these uncertain times.'
Closed due to COVID-19, galleries and museums in Melbourne continue to demonstrate their resourcefulness. Ocula's Associate Editor Tessa Moldan gathered together some of the highlights, including a virtual tour of Keith Haring | Jean-Michel Basquiat: Crossing Lines at National Gallery of Victoria, and a street-facing exhibition in the windows of Gertrude Contemporary. —[O]
