Off The Wall is a major feature of The Weekend Australian Art Fairs in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney. The showcase is dedicated to the promotion of independent and unrepresented artists and is a rare opportunity for the work of undiscovered artists to be viewed by thousands of active art buyers and over 100 high end commercial galleries.

At each art fair, a panel of highly respected individuals from within the arts sector including, curators, writers, artists and gallery owners, select 20 finalists from the hundreds of entries received. These 20 artists are recognised as being the most promising, engaging, provocative and talented emerging artists from across the country. The resulting showcase at each art fair is a strong key indicator of the most interesting emerging talent Australia has to offer. In recognition of this, commercial gallery directors flock to the feature to bid for the art stars of the future. Visitors are invited to snap up outstanding contemporary art at unbelievably affordable prices. Off The Wall is not to be missed!

The selection panel for Off The Wall at The Weekend Australian Art Melbourne in 2008 were;

Jason Smith was formally the senior curator of Australian contemporary art at the National Gallery of Victoria, is currently Director of Monash Gallery of Art, and recently appointed director of the Heide Museum of Modern Art.

Nellie Castan is the director of Nellie Castan Gallery, based in Melbourne, which has provided strong support for contemporary Australian artists since opening in 1998. Nellie Castan represents and has nurtured some of the most important contemporary artist in the country.

Ashley Crawford is the author of a number of books on Australian art and has written on the visual arts for numerous publications including The Age, Australian Art Collector, Art & Australia and The Australian. Crawford has most recently been commissioned by Penguin books for a history on the last 25 years of Australian art and culture. He is currently the editor of Photofile, the peak photographic publication in Australia.

Louise Paramour has had an impressive career as a Melbourne based artist who is well respected amongst her peers and has a large number of works in private and public collections both locally and internationally.

Please continue to watch this space for Art Melbourne 2009 off the wall artists.

To view the artists selected for Off The Wall at Art Melbourne and for further information, visit the Off The Wall Website