VAULT Talks Presents Conversations with Leading Contemporary Artists

VAULT Magazine invites fairgoers to their booth (G2), for a series of inclusive and inspiring one-on-one conversations with preeminent Australian contemporary artists across the four days of the fair.

Join VAULT Editor Alison Kubler and Fair-presenting artists James Drinkwater, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran and Edwina McLennan as they speak about art, practice, community and what 2024 has in store. The VAULT booth will be an open space for the facilitation of drop-in community conversation and collaboration at all other times during the fair.

Alison Kubler in Conversation with Edwina McLennan:
Friday 23 February, 3:30-4:00pm

Edwina McLennan, Full Moon Rising, 2023, acrylic and sublimation dye print on velvet and sequins, thread, interfacing., Framed in white surround frame, 134 x 211cm.

Edwina McLennan’s work is positioned at the intersection of textiles, painting, consumerism, and digital culture. Originally trained in fashion design at the Royal Academy of Antwerp, Edwina deconstructs imagery of mass consumption, sourced largely from fashion magazines. Employing a combination of handmade, mechanical, and digital processes, her works take the form of reconstructed Surrealist landscapes, occupying a liminal space between the natural and digital worlds and serving as a commentary on the impact of consumerism upon identity construction. Her solo exhibition at the Fair is presented by The Renshaws’ (Meanjin/Brisbane), Booth E4.

Alison Kubler in Conversation with Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran:
Saturday, 24 February, 12:00-12:30pm

Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, Undergod, 2023 at Sullivan+Strumpf, Naarm/Melbourne. Photographer: Christian Capurro.

Sri-Lankan born, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran is a contemporary artist. He is interested in global histories and languages of figurative representation and their intersections with issues relating to the politics of idolatry, the monument, gender, race and religiosity. He has specific interests in South Asian forms and imagery. While he is best known for his inventive and somewhat unorthodox approach to ceramic media, his material vernacular is broad. He has worked imaginatively with a range of sculptural materials including bronze, concrete, neon, LED and fibreglass. Ramesh’s work is presented by Sullivan+Strumpf (Naarm/Melbourne, Gadigal Country/Sydney, Singapore), Booth C7.

Alison Kubler in Conversation with James Drinkwater:
Sunday, 25 February, 12:00-12:30pm

James Drinkwater, Head in the sand, Montauk NY, 2023, oil on linen, 70.2cm x 122cm.

James Drinkwater is a Newcastle based painter and sculptor. He studied at the National Art School, Sydney (2001) and has held 30 solo exhibitions since 2004. A major survey exhibition, ‘The Sea Calls me by Name’, was held in 2019 at the Newcastle Art Gallery. In 2016, Monash University’s engineering faculty commissioned a major sculpture / relief from the artist which spans fifteen metres, hanging permanently at Monash University’s Clayton Campus. In 2017 James collaborated with iconic Australian fashion house ALPHA60 to produce a capsule collection. In 2022 he was included in the seminal exhibition ‘Singing In Unison – artist’s need to create on the same scale that society has the capacity to destroy’ curated by Phong H. Bui and Cal Mckeever from The Brooklyn Rail along side Sean Scully, Julian Schnabel, Lauren Bon, Ron Gorchov and Dorothea Rockburne. At the Fair, James’ work is presented by Nicholas Thompson Gallery (Naarm/Melbourne), Booth K1.

Explore the full Melbourne Art Fair Program here.