Photo Sydney opens at Sydney Contemporary

Australasia’s premier art fair, Sydney Contemporary, returns to Carriageworks this week for its milestone 10th edition, running from 3–6 September 2026 – with the Media and VIP Collector Preview opening proceedings on 2 September.

Among the fair’s traditional galleries featuring painting, sculpture and media installations – the return of Photo Sydney stands out as a focal point for the region’s fine art and photographic community.

 Following a successful inaugural outing in 2025, Photo Sydney once again operates as a curated ‘fair within a fair’, designed to champion lens-based art and bridge the gap between working practitioners, galleries, and serious collectors. With fine art photography enjoying a palpable resurgence in the Australian market, the sector puts a deliberate spotlight on editioning, archival printmaking, and provenance.

Previously, Sydney Contemporary 2025 generated a reported $16 million in sales – a modest yet significant portion of Australia’s commercial fine art trade, which turns over an estimated $400 million to $600 million annually across commercial galleries, studios, auction houses, and private dealers.

The Photo Sydney 2026 line-up, as well as other 'name' photographers in established traditional art gallery booths, brings together an eclectic roster of established heavyweights and forward-thinking solo practitioners, spanning narrative portraiture, documentary, street, and large-scale conceptual work.

Among the headline exhibitors:

• Alexia Sinclair, presenting her meticulously staged, theatrical narrative tableaus that fuse classical art history with digital compositing.

• Paul Blackmore, showcasing immersive documentary and landscape that was shot in the Alice Springs region.

• Cybele Malinowski, bridging the worlds of high fashion and fine art with vivid, stylised character studies.

• Christopher Ireland, whose intimate observations explore suburban connection and the human condition.

• Trent Mitchell, bringing his distinct coastal and street compositions marked by acute graphic geometry.

• Mark Forbes, featuring contemplative architectural street photography that captures quiet moments across urban landscapes.

• Pamela Pauline, exhibiting intricate, large-format composite botanical and environmental works.

• Luke Hardy, showing sensitive, sculptural explorations of the human form.

• Caterina Pacialeo, presenting tactile alternative-process prints and hosting talks detailing her physical darkroom methods.

• Marnya Rothe, alongside collaborative presentations featuring Litsa Veldekis and Rex Dupain.

Complementing the solo artist spaces are curated presentations by leading community platforms and commercial spaces, including Blender Gallery – bringing rare music archives and rock-and-roll portraiture – as well as dedicated booths from Head On Photo Festival, photo access, and Tiliqua Tiliqua.

Other stand out photographic exhibitors were Darren Sylvester at Neon Parc, while Murray Fredricks, Petrina Hicks and Leila Jeffreys work appeared at Michael Reid Gallery.

Apart from photographic artwork, Sydney Contemporary Talks Program brings together more than 30 artists, designers, collectors and creative thinkers for thought-provoking conversations across all four days of the Fair.

Photo Sydney runs at Carriageworks, Eveleigh, from Thursday 3 September through Sunday 6 September.

You can see images of exhibitors at the top of the page, and you can find out more on the Sydney Contemporary website.

Key fair hours