Source : the age
It wasn’t just art enthusiasts who scored at the inaugural Affordable Art Fair in Brisbane last year.
For local artist Zoe Willey, showing at the four-day event launched her full-time career. “I had no idea what to expect out of it [but] it went so much better than I could have ever hoped,” she says.
Willey, who grew up on the Sunshine Coast and has lived in Brisbane, was one of six emerging Queensland artists chosen to participate in the fair’s Discover: Young Talent program.
After holding the event in Melbourne and Sydney for many years, the Affordable Art Fair finally made its way to Brisbane last year. It returns for the second time this week from May 8 to 11. Credit: Affordable Art Fair Brisbane
She prepared 15 pieces for the event, a mix of still life paintings and her trademark “house portraits” of coastal beach shacks and old Queenslanders. Nearly all sold over the four-day event.
“It was a huge confidence boost, to realise that there was that demand [for my art] there,” she says.
“From an artist perspective, it’s such a unique opportunity in that most of the people attending the fair are there because they want to buy art.
“And from the collector’s perspective, that opportunity to see art from all over Australia, at a lot of different price points, is really important, and makes art more accessible.”
When Willey returns to Brisbane for the second fair later this week, her work will be hosted by Yandina’s Stevens Street Gallery.
Also preparing to return to the fair after a sellout showcase last year is Indigenous artist Brad Turner from the Saltwater People of Bundjalung Country.
Turner started painting about five years ago at the request of his daughter, who came home from school one day wanting to learn more about her culture.
“Before that, I used to draw and paint when I was really young with my grandfather…but I hadn’t really [explored art] until I became a dad,” Turner says.
There was instant demand for Turner’s work.
Since becoming an artist, he’s collaborated with some of Australia’s biggest names and brands, including designing a collection for homewares giant Adairs, and wrapping a Ford Mustang for AFL Indigenous Round.
Indigenous artist Brad Turner returns for the 2025 Affordable Art Fair with his collection ‘Moondaroo’ inspired by recent weather events in south-east Queensland and Northern NSW. Credit: @bradturnercreative_
Last year, Turner was one of the fair’s ‘Artists in Action’. It was his first time showing at a gallery in Brisbane.
“By the Saturday, I’d completely sold out all my artwork, so I had to go back home and get another collection and fill it up,” he says.
Turner returns this year with “Moondaroo”, meaning naked in Yugambeh language, a collection inspired by the changing landscape of south-east Queensland and Northern NSW after recent weather events.
“This series is like a rebirth and a new beginning,” he says.
Gold Coast artist Camille Manley has also drawn on the natural world to create her collection for this year’s fair.
“It’s a new abstract landscape series…with everything from the ocean to the Snowy Mountains,” she says.
Manley will show again this year with Mint Art House, an artist-run collective based in Burleigh Heads. She says the fair is a vital opportunity for regional artists to leverage a city audience.
“It’s just electric, seeing that many people looking at art and carrying pieces out the door under their arms, it’s really incredible,” Manley says.
“Being in Queensland, we’re far away from the standard art epicentres like Sydney and Melbourne, so it’s great having this in Brisbane and having the chance to bring all this art into one place with a huge audience.”
The Affordable Art Fair runs from May 8 to 11 at the Brisbane Showgrounds with an estimated 12,000 visitors expected to attend across the four days.
About 50 independent Australian galleries and more than 400 artists will participate in this year’s event with thousands of original works for sale, priced from $100 to $10,000.
