In the nook of First Site is Xinshuo Zhuo’s Unnatured. Presented alongside three other exhibitions, Zhuo’s is the quietest. The works did not strike me at first sight, it was only in sitting with them- getting closer and truly taking my time that the detail and nuance struck me. Going back through them, finding the motifs (the butterflies, the obscured sun, the faceless woman, the hair) I wanted more. What Zhuo captures with analogue photography feels like nothing that could be imitated with modern means. There is a delicacy to the exhibition. 

The Affordable Art Fair is not what I want it to be or what the name suggests- it is no great equalizer, it is not art for the masses, and it most certainly is not affordable. For $47.23 to be able to attend the opening night on Thursday, or $29.63 for general admission ($26.53 for concessions), there’s something to be said for building a brand centred around affordability with such a high barrier for entry in the middle of a cost of living crisis. My second gripe with “affordable” is their version of it- under $10,000. Granted, a cursory look around places more canvases in the mid-thousands rather than the upper end, but it is still far more than most are able to part with on a stormy Friday afternoon. 

If you had told me I would be spending my Wednesday being offered glasses of champagne at the Windsor Hotel two weeks ago I don’t think I would have believed you. Alas sans champagne (for this review did not write itself) there I stood, ready to contend fully with a cornerstone of the Melbourne art calendar, the Spring1883 Art Fair. There are 35 galleries in this iteration of the fair, hailing mainly from Melbourne, but also Sydney, New Zealand, and Mildura. 

My day at Spring1883 began with Kate Barber (fair co-founder and co-director) giving us a rundown of the fair in the gorgeous Kalli Rolfe Contemporary suite, its history, and her view on how it runs every year. Learning about the limitations of the heritage listing of the location- no damage to the walls means an unhealthy dependence on command hooks- and her vehement views on a non-hierarchical structure gave me the needed background to fully appreciate the tenth iteration of the fair. Important to note is that the rooms differ in size, obviously with the larger ones going to more established galleries but not for virtue of name, simply because it allows for the fair to provide a sliding scale, allowing for more young galleries and ARIs (artist-run initiatives) to take part.

A collaboration between Unassigned Gallery and Changing Room Gallery, SKETCHBOOK is ambitious, with this edition featuring over 40 artists. Lining the walls and multiple tables, the books run the gamut of artistic practice, stretching the limits of what a sketchbook is and can be. They are insights into how people see the world, and everything they encounter from the everyday to the imaginary. 

If anything, right now feels like a necessary moment for abstraction. It’s certainly the art I turn to time and again when I feel like I need something, anything to get lost in. We are grappling with a ruptured world- social media that goes from AI cat videos, to the destruction of Gaza, to the end stage capitalism of Labubus. None of it feels real or tangible or sensical. Abstraction has always emerged when the world ceased to be as knowable as it once was. Currently at SOL Gallery is Abstract Artists Never Sleep. Featuring 14 artists from the Hawthorn Artist Society, the group touts itself as an “untutored abstract art group.” Any exhibition blurb for an abstract show invariably contains some amalgamation of the words expressive, gesture, and dynamic - this one is no different. The best abstractions are the ones that draw you in and keep you looking, making you feel like if you just got a little bit closer, you’ll finally find exactly what you’ve been looking for. I connected deeply with some of the artists in a way I didn’t necessarily expect for a sunny afternoon in Fitzroy.

There’s something so captivating about small works, almost like you could reach out and hold the entire universe in your hands (please do not use this as an excuse to touch the artworks). In Beinart Gallery, tucked in the last room on the left, you’ll find 20 such works ready to take you to different worlds. English artist Caroline Dewison’s A Fantastic Journey presents 20 dioramas, five of which are automata. The whimsical art leans towards the weird in the best way, with each of these scenes fit for a fairy instead home to UFOs, leading you to wonder what’s really going on. 

The first thing I heard walking into 45 Flinders Lane was “I loved the cockroach.” Immediately I was intrigued. The aforementioned cockroach (Jent Do’s The Sacred Cockroach) is just one work among many in the tenth edition of fortyfivedownstairs’ Emerging Artist Awards. The award, this year judged by Anthony White, showcases a well honed selection of early career artists across all mediums. The opening was packed, with attendees waiting to hear who would be awarded the $3000 prize pool.

I would argue that absolutely miserable weather (read: Melbourne Winter) is the best time to go see some art. This is only made better by being combined with a good cappuccino. Currently greeting you outside No Vacancy in the CBD is Lea Thompson’s Romance triptych- an ethereal, floral abstract work that invites you into the warmth and calm that is Thompson’s current exhibition. Une Vie Romantique is a 19 work exhibition of abstracted landscapes “exploring the soft space between memory and perception.” The exhibition is near antithetical to the Melbourne winter, full of soft colours and warmth that for the time I spent perusing the works and drinking a cappuccino, made me forget about the torrential rain outside while encompassed in the soft colours of Thompson’s romantic view of life.