Sebastian Goldspink’s Top Picks at MAF 2026
For curator and MAF ambassador, Sebastian Goldspink, Melbourne Art Fair is a chance to reconnect with friends, colleagues and the wider arts community from across the continent and beyond. It’s a snapshot of contemporary practice and the new and exciting work shaping the field today.
You can also discover your favourite artists with him at the Fair through his Young Galleries and Practical Pathways tours, designed to spotlight emerging voices and offer behind-the-scenes insight.
We asked him to share a few of his highlights ahead of the Fair next week.
ALEX SETON
SULLIVAN & STRUMPF
BOOTH F5
I’m especially excited to see Alex Seton’s new work with Sullivan & Strumpf. Created using Portuguese marble sourced during his recent residency, these works continue Seton’s remarkable command of material and form. Few artists handle stone with such precision and sensitivity. A true master of the medium.
Alex Setton, The Tenderness Series, 2025. Photography By Camilla Santitni
MARK WHALEN
1301SW/STARKWHITE
BOOTH A2
1301SW is showcasing so many great artists at the Fair this year. I’m really looking forward to seeing Mark Whalen’s incredible sculptures juxtaposed with paintings by Simone Griffin, Anselm Reyle and more. Mark is an Australian based in Los Angeles who’s taking on the world.
Mark Whalen, Night lights, 2025. Oil on aluminium, bronze, copper, and glass. 50.80 x 38.10 x 30.50 cm. Courtesy of the artist and 1301SW/STARKWHITE
JARRA KARALINAR STEEL
GAMMIN THREADS
BOOTH C6
I’m looking forward to Jarra Karalinar Steel’s collaboration with Gammin Threads as part of the Victorian First Peoples presentation. They will be showcasing their iilk collection – Gammin Threads never misses on presence.
A must-see in the CONVERSATIONS Program, Jack Wilkie-Jans will speak with Jarra on her unique and distinctive multi-disciplinary practice, and the ways Boonwurrung culture, Country and histories inform her work.
Courtesy Gammin Threads. Photo: Emily Seif.
CÉCILE B. EVANS
CHÂTEAU SHATTO
VIDEO
Château Shatto is a gallery from Los Angeles that I follow closely. It’s great to see international galleries at MAF. I’m really looking forward to seeing Reality or Not, the Belgium/American artist Cécile B. Evans video work, exploring the forces that shape reality.
Cécile B. Evans, Reality or Not (Still), 2023. HD Video, 34 min and 53 sec.
PALAS
BOOTH B1
Nick Collerson, (left) Deer Moon, 2025, oil on canvas, 137.2 x 152.5 cm. (right) Together, 2025, oil on canvas, 71.5 x 91.5 cm. Photo: Josh Raymond. Courtesy of the Artist & PALAS, Sydney
AMES YAVUZ
BOOTH A1
At Ames Yavuz I’m thrilled to see an incredible pairing of Caroline Rothwell and the late-great Rosemary Laing. Laing’s vivid photographs are both incredibly beautiful yet somehow unsettling – depicting the the intrusion of human systems into living environments.
Rosemary Laing, Groundspeed (Rose Petal) #17, 2001, Type C photograph.
STATION
BOOTH H8
Tom Polo, doubt and departure (blue bodies), acrylic and oil stick on canvas 182 x 138 cm.
Sebastian Goldspink is an independent curator based in Sydney, renowned for his commitment to fostering emerging artistic talent. In 2011, he founded ALASKA Projects—a dynamic exhibition space dedicated to supporting early-career artists, curators, and writers through a diverse program of local, national, and international projects.
Goldspink has held key professional roles with leading institutions including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Art Month Sydney, and the National Art School. He also served as Director of regional galleries for both Woollahra and Sutherland Shire Councils.
A proud Burramattagal man, Goldspink is deeply engaged in shaping the future of Australian art. He sits on the board of the Power Institute at the University of Sydney and Western Sydney Creative at Western Sydney University, championing inclusive and innovative approaches to arts education and practice.
Melbourne Art Fair, 19 – 22 February 2026 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
