Many have called the historic Gunnery Building in Woolloomooloo "home" over the years, including the ragtag artists who squatted there in the ’80s. In 1992, Artspace moved in – and for more than two decades, it has filled the place with invigorating and boundary-breaking exhibitions.
Artspace is much more than a gallery, though. It's a leading institution for the production and presentation of contemporary art in the Asia Pacific – and for these reasons and more, our team was inspired to recognise the organisation with the inaugural Impact Award in the Time Out Sydney Arts & Culture Awards.
The Gunnery recently underwent a stunning $19.2-million transformation, throwing open the doors to the new-look, state-of-the-art facility in December 2023. It was truly a top-to-bottom reinvention of the heritage-listed building, creating a visually striking, functional and universally accessible space that better reflects and enables the multi-pronged role that Artspace fulfils.
In addition to exhibitions on the ground floor, you'll also find ten light-filled artist studios up top on the third floor. This serves as a hub for Artspace's Studio Program, which supports 10 artists at all stages of their careers each year, providing a rent-free residency while they work on the next wave of Aussie art.
On the second floor, there's a custom-built library called The Franco Belgiorno-Nettis Archive, which houses a fully-accessible (and digitised) depositary of all Artspace's publishing from the past 40-plus years – and this includes some iconic queer, culturally diverse, and First Nations-led materials. Across the hall, you'll find a dedicated, 250-square-metre sound-proofed space for performance, music and dance.
Artspace’s home has been customised to facilitate that rare, harmonious balance of function and beauty. There’s an electric air of things to come mingling in with the salty ocean breeze in Woolloomooloo. (Go deeper: read more about the transformation of Artspace over here.)
How to get to Artspace, Sydney
Artspace (also known as The Gunnery Building) is located on Cowper Wharf Roadway, across the street from the Ovolo Woolloomooloo. It's about 11-minutes' walk from Kings Cross Station, or 15 minutes from St James Station. Bus route 311 also stops outside the gallery. Admission is always free. Find out more about visiting Artspace including accessibility details over here.
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