The 15-year-old Melbourne Art Fair, one of Australia’s largest and most successful showcases of contemporary art, is in danger of being cancelled due to lack of funds. The problem is partly one of perception: the fair’s wild success over the past decade is seen as proof by many that it no longer requires public funding, but the truth is that the fair’s budget is quite tight, and disruptions to regular revenue streams could prove deadly. Such a disruption is currently underway in the form of an impasse on the city council, which has chosen not to make its usual contribution to the event.