COMMISSIONS
Established in 2006, the Melbourne Art Foundation Commission program provides living artists with an opportunity to realise a large-scale work for unveiling at Melbourne Art Fair, which is later gifted to a prominent institution.
Previous partners in the program have included AGWA, ACMI, HOTA Gallery, Bendigo Art Gallery, NGV, QAGOMA, the University of Queensland Art Museum, MCA, Art Gallery of South Australia, National Gallery of Australia; and artists Julie Rrap, Kaylene Whiskey, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, Ronnie van Hout, Michael Parekōwhai, David Griggs, Peter Hennessey, Jon Campbell, Ian Burns, and Mikala Dwyer.
In 2025, two ambitious new works from leading international artists represented by Australian galleries, Yona Lee and Dawn Ng will be showcased at Melbourne Art Fair 2025.
BEYOND
Harnessing the monumental exhibition spaces within the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, BEYOND presents three large-scale installations and spatial interventions from leading contemporary artists. Melbourne Art Foundation supports the sector by providing a monetary grant to participating galleries.
VIDEO
VIDEO offers a dynamic presentation of thought-provoking and highly collectible contemporary works in moving-image art, featuring emerging and established artists from around the world.
PROJECT ROOMS
A platform for experimentation, PROJECT ROOMS provide an opportunity for public and independent art spaces from around Australia to present innovative and experimental work within the context of a major international visual arts event.
PROJECT ROOMS is presented by Alpha60.
WILLIAM MORA INDIGENOUS ART CENTRE PROGRAM
The William Mora Indigenous Art Centre Program (WMIACP) provides a fully funded exhibition package for Indigenous-owned art centres to participate in Melbourne Art Fair. It aims to promote and provide curatorial and commercial opportunities for Indigenous artists working on Country and in communities across Australia.
The Program is funded by the Australian Government through the Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support (IVAIS) program, and generously supported by Morgans Financial Limited.
CONVERSATIONS
A platform for critical discourse and the sharing of ideas, CONVERSATIONS, brings together cultural communities and thinkers from across the creative spectrum. The aim: to address the future of art and its relationship to interdisciplinary practices and the contemporary world through a series of talks and panels featuring artists, gallerists, curators, collectors, architects, critics, scholars and cultural luminaries.
In 2025, CONVERSATIONS is presented by Guardian Australia.
