Artspace, Sydney

Ever changing, ever challenging, Artspace is where audiences encounter the artists and the ideas of our times.

Artspace is one of the leading institutions for the production and presentation of contemporary art in the Asia Pacific. Our expansive, multi-platform approach to programming includes new commissions, exhibitions, performances, studio residencies, publishing, public programs, learning and outreach initiatives, and advocacy. Artspace is where artists of all generations test new ideas and shape public conversation. Embracing risk, experimentation, collaboration and advocacy, Artspace’s mission is to enhance our culture and support community vibrancy through a deeper engagement with contemporary art.

We are a leading independent, not-for-profit contemporary art space, cultural partner and community resource located in Sydney on Gadigal land. We receive government support from the Federal Government through Creative Australia and from the New South Wales (NSW) State Government through Create NSW. Government funding is supplemented through the valued contributions of our dedicated community of partners and benefactors.

Artspace was established in 1983 as an artist-run gallery for emerging and early-career artists, conceived as an alternative to commercial galleries and major national collecting institutions. During the 1990s Artspace evolved into a funded contemporary art space with professional staff and a focus on supporting artists at all stages of their careers. Initially located at 11 Randle Street, Surry Hills, Artspace relocated in 1992 to a larger, more affordable, and permanent home in The Gunnery in Woolloomooloo.

Artspace provides a platform for artists to engage in critical dialogue within Australia and internationally, ensuring radical, open-ended and speculative forms of making and thinking are embedded in our program.

Local, regional, national and international partnerships are central to Artspace’s expanded artistic program which offers a diversified approach to connect audiences and communities with Australian artists and their international peers. We present a collaborative, civic and creative platform which reaches from Woolloomooloo to the Asia Pacific and beyond through the strong relationships and partnerships at the heart of our activities.

Artspace’s program enables ideas to germinate and grow, extending the definition of what art is and what it can become.