Melbourne Art Foundation

28/01/2026

DESIGN CONVERSATIONS | Curated by Neil Hugh Kenna, Founder and Director of

Building on the Melbourne Art Fair CONVERSATIONS Program, we have enlisted longtime supporter of the Fair, Neil Hugh Kenna, to curate a complementary Design Conversations Program to launch alongside the inaugural FUTUREOBJEKT.

Taking place on Friday 20 February within the ‘Bubble’ at Melbourne Art Fair, join Neil as he moderates discussions on collecting with conscience, building a commercially sustainable design practice, and fetishising function – when is a chair simply a chair, and when does it become a vessel of artistic expression?

Speakers include MAF x NGV Design recipient Anna Varendorff ; interior designer and MAF Ambassador , Nicole Durling of ; Volker Haug, founder of Volker Haug Studio and more.

Bringing, sharp voices together to probe the ideas shaping design today, he’s put together a fast, focused program of talks with designers, architects, thinkers and makers. Designed to educate as much as provoke, the program invites audiences to listen, question, and rethink the role of design in culture and in daily life.

Visit the link in bio to explore the full program.
FUTUREOBJEKT at Melbourne Art Fair 19 – 22 February 2026 at the

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Images:
1. Neil Hugh. Courtesy NHO.
2-3. Anna Varendorff in studio. Photo: Annika Kafcaloudis.
4. Locki Humphrey, Oxide. 2025, prickly pear leather, aluminium, Tasmianian Oak. Courtesy Craft Victoria.
5. Nicole Durling. Courtesy Nicole Durling.
6. Brahman Perera. Courtesy Brahman Perera.
7. Photo: Annika Kafcaloudis. Courtesy Volker Haug Studio.
8. Volker Haug. Courtesy Volker Haug Studio.

22/01/2026

Genevieve Hromas and Juliet Ramsey began formally collaborating as in 2020 (maybe we can guess why). Bringing together backgrounds in design, furniture and fashion, the duo leans into re-use, material experimentation, and limiting waste. 

Asked about the most unglamorous material they’re currently obsessed with, Juliet admits, “We feel like this is just a current everyday thing for us…. Almost a problem - Genevieve recently pulled out an old paper BRIGHT yellow shopping bag and asked me if it would be too weird to use this as the shade on a new version of our plank lamp…” Checks out.

Juliet spoke with Andy Kelly (Director of Collecible design at MAF) about their invaluable friendship (stretching all the way to preschool), the strangest piece they’ve made that could be a sci-fi prop, and more. 

OKO OLO will present work at FUTUREOBJEKT, sharing Booth E19 with Naarm-based designer,

Read the full interview at the link in bio
FUTUREOBJEKT at Melbourne Art Fair, 19 - 22 February 2026.

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All imagery courtesy OKO OLO

12/05/2023

Via Vogue Australia:
A collaborative effort between the NGV and the Melbourne Art Foundation, the is taking place as part of Melbourne Design Week, and will showcase the works of over 150 designers and artists from around the country whose pieces—ranging from furniture to jewellery—will be available for purchase."

This month, art and design in all forms finds a home at Melbourne Design Week.

11/05/2023

Opening 18 May: is bringing together the best of collectible design from Australia and the world at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC).

See the work of over 150 leading designers and makers, and buy from the array of cutting-edge furniture, lighting, jewellery and object designs gathered together under one roof in the largest display of its kind in Australia.

Open for a limited time, 18–21 May. Entry tickets are $28.50, and designs start from $500. Purchase your ticket now at:

https://designfair.melbourne/

An initiative of the National Gallery of Victoria delivered in collaboration with the Melbourne Art Foundation

With thanks to Presenting Partner Creative Victoria, Major Partner , Media Partner Vogue Living, Transport Partner , Supporting Partners Art Money, The Gospel Wh***ey, Stylecraft and Wood Marsh Architecture.