Melbourne Art Fair presents INDEPENDENT, a library of substance and significance

Melbourne Art Fair believes in the power of art to champion new ideas and push established ones forward. Every element of the Fair seeks to thrust ideas to the fore, to provoke thought and stimulate understanding. In recognising the written words as a distinct and vital art form and essential mode of knowledge sharing, the 2022 edition of Melbourne Art Fair presents a new initiative: INDEPENDENT, a curated library of books spanning art, cultural commentary, design, architecture, fashion, and humanities.

INDEPENDENT will bring together significant and revered independent booksellers, publishers, and writers to represent a broad spectrum of ideas that challenge our perceptions and deepen our connection to these forces in our lives. Presented as a singular open-plan library, INDEPENDENT represents ideas in an in-depth and rich manner, providing platform for First Nations, queer, gender diverse, and emerging voices in literature.

The inaugural line-up for INDEPENDENT features Perimeter Books, Bookshop by Uro, and Negative Press, each of whom represent contemporary culture through rigorous publishing programs and a superlative edit of titles addressing art, design, architecture, and social theory.

Jane Harrison, Festival Director for First Nations Literary Festival Blak & Bright, will curate a selection of titles from across the range from each bookseller that will champion and bring to the fore Indigenous voices, issues and works.

Discover INDEPENDENT at the Melbourne Art Fair in the main concourse, February 17 – 20, 2022.

Image: Bookshop by Uro in Collingwood Yards, Naarm/Melbourne