Returning to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre this February, Melbourne Art Fair 2026 introduces FUTUREOBJEKT and its first-ever Design Commission, signalling a growing focus on collectible design, crafted objects and cross-disciplinary practice.

The Melbourne Art Fair is on the horizon again this year and it promises to be more dynamic and exciting than ever before. Over four days commencing 19^th February until 22^nd February 2026, the Fair will be on display at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, as the city comes alive with all things art and design.  

This year the Melbourne Art Fair will showcase over 60 of Australia’s leading art galleries plus new artists and object makers. Last year the event attracted some 17,000 visitors and 2026 is bound to set the bar higher for attendance with new offerings to entice the crowds.

This year sees the inaugural FUTUREOBJEKT take pride of place at the fair and, as a collectible design salon and rather like a fair within the fair, it will enhance and extend the artistic offering.

FUTUREOBJEKT will provide a platform for contemporary design, architecture and the crafted object, curated to give voice to the practices shaping design today. Some exhibitors of note among the 20 galleries and studios are Adam Cornish, Adam Goodrum, Christopher Boots, Craft Victoria, Don Cameron, OIGÅLL Projects, Tom Fereday and Volker Haug Studio, to name but a few.

“Our vision for FUTUREOBJEKT is to create a consistent platform that supports collectible design here in Australia, while also strengthening the connection between the design and art markets and offering a truly unique visitor experience for those who will join us at the Fair in February,” says Mary Wenholz, CEO of Melbourne Art Fair. “Australia is known for punching well above its weight when it comes to exceptional design talent, and as the global collectible design market continues to grow, we feel strongly about creating opportunities for this talent to be celebrated at home.”

Also making a debut is the Fair’s first-ever Design Commission, in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), which has been awarded to Anna Varendorff of ACV Studio. Varendorff, a Naarm/Melbourne-based artist and designer will unveil her commissioned work at the Fair before it moves to a new home as a permanent addition to the NGV collection.

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Varendorff’s work, titled U lights and vases, is an artwork of ceiling lights and suspended vases with large floor vessels that reflect and extrapolate her interest in the tubular form. This will be an outstanding installation and a key feature of the Fair.

“The NGV is pleased to continue our successful collaboration with the Melbourne Art Fair Foundation to elevate the role of collectible design in the Australian contemporary collecting ecosystem. Working together, with the support of the Australian Fund for Living Australian Artists, we have invested together in an ambitious destination work by Anna Varendorff. This project offers Anna the opportunity to push her practice forward, both conceptually and spatially. We are excited to see this commission presented at the 2026 Melbourne Art Fair after which time it will beguile audiences when it is represented, as part of our contemporary design collection, at the Ian Potter Centre, NGV Australia in 2026., explains Ewan McEoin, Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, Design and Architecture at National Gallery of Victoria.

To complement the plethora of artistic endeavour on show, the VIP Lounge will be transformed by Broached Commissions into an environment where naturalism and contemporary bio-digital art will explore the scientific enquiry and emotional landscape of women artists from the 18^th century to present day.

Adding to the aesthetic of the Lounge, living floral installations by Hattie Molloy and soundscapes from Tom Bridges (k8 mo55) will create atmosphere – all supported by K5 and Bang&Olufsen.

Along with the VIP Lounge, there will be the Champagne Bollinger Bar designed by Melbourne Art Fair Ambassador Brahman Perera and a program of conversations devised by Neil Hugh of NHO, titled Design Talks, that will investigate design in culture and daily life.

The 2026 Melbourne Art Fair guarantees to deliver a delicious sensory overload to entertain and amaze. There’s no time like the present to purchase tickets and support the incredible artists that colour our world.

Melbourne Art Fair
melbourneartfair.com.au