Visiting commercial gallery exhibitions in Sydney

I keep a shoebox of exhibition invitations, and if you tip it out on the table you can read the rhythm of Sydney's commercial galleries in the dates alone. A show opens, runs for three or four weeks, closes on a Saturday, and the next one goes up a few days later. Once you know that rhythm, the city's dealer galleries stop feeling like closed doors and start feeling like a free, constantly changing exhibition programme spread across a handful of neighbourhoods. This guide covers how the calendar works, how to find out what is on, where to go, what to do when you get there, and how to put a good afternoon together.

How the exhibition calendar works

Commercial galleries (sometimes called dealer galleries) show and sell the work of the artists they represent. Most run a programme of solo and group exhibitions through the year, and the pattern is fairly consistent across the city.

• Length: a typical show runs three to four weeks. Some galleries with two rooms run a main show and a smaller one side by side, often on slightly different dates.
• Changeover: between shows there is usually a gap of a few days while works come down, walls are patched and painted, and the new show is hung. If you arrive during a changeover you may find the door locked or the room half finished.
• Openings: most shows begin with an opening, usually an early evening event on a weekday or a Saturday afternoon. Openings are generally free and open to anyone who turns up, though a few are invitation only.
• Quiet seasons: many galleries slow down or close for a few weeks over Christmas and January. Late summer and autumn are often busy, with major solo shows bunched in the months before winter and again in spring.
• Art fairs and prize seasons: when a big art fair or prize exhibition is on in Sydney, some galleries time their shows to match, so a single weekend can be crowded with openings.

None of these are rules, and every gallery has its own habits. But if you expect a three to four week show, an evening opening and a short changeover, you will rarely be caught out.

Finding out what is on

There is no single official listing for Sydney's commercial galleries, so most regular visitors use a combination of sources.

The gallery's own website and mailing list

This is the most reliable source. A gallery's website will show the current exhibition, the next one and sometimes a year ahead. Its mailing list is how invitations arrive, with dates, the artist's name and an image of one work. Signing up costs nothing, and you can unsubscribe whenever you like. I subscribe to more lists than I could ever visit, then filter by neighbourhood when I plan a day.

Printed and online gallery guides

Several independent art guides publish exhibition listings, in print and online, grouped by suburb. Free printed guides are often stacked near the door in commercial and public galleries alike. They are good for discovering places you did not know, but dates can change after printing, so check the gallery's own site before you travel.

Social media

Many galleries and artists post installation photographs during a show and announce openings a week or two ahead. These posts are useful for a quick look at the hang before you decide whether to make the trip.

Ask at the desk

The simplest source of all: the person at the front desk. Gallery staff generally know what the neighbouring galleries are showing and are happy to point you up the street.

Where the galleries are

Commercial galleries in Sydney tend to cluster, which makes it practical to walk between several in an afternoon. In general terms:

• The eastern suburbs: Paddington and Woollahra have long been home to a number of established galleries, many in converted terraces, shopfronts and warehouses on and off the main roads. Darlinghurst and the streets towards Rushcutters Bay have more.
• The inner city: Surry Hills and the edge of the city centre have galleries in upstairs rooms and former industrial buildings, alongside artist-run spaces.
• Chippendale and Redfern: south of the city, these suburbs have a concentration of contemporary galleries and artist-run initiatives in old factories and warehouses, a short walk from Central station.
• Further out: smaller clusters exist in the inner west, in suburbs such as Marrickville and around Newtown, and on the north side of the harbour.

Galleries open, move and close, so treat any map more than a year old with suspicion.

Public galleries to combine

A commercial gallery round pairs well with a public collection, and several public institutions sit close to the commercial clusters.

• The Art Gallery of New South Wales in the Domain, with its original building and the newer Sydney Modern building, is the obvious anchor. Its Australian collection gives you context for almost anything you will see in the commercial shows.
• The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia at Circular Quay shows current Australian and international art.
• The National Art School in Darlinghurst has a gallery that shows exhibitions, including work by students and graduates.
• UNSW Galleries in Paddington is a short walk from the eastern suburbs commercial streets.
• Artspace in Woolloomooloo, a public contemporary art space, sits between the city and the eastern suburbs.
• Carriageworks in Eveleigh, near Redfern station, has exhibitions alongside performance and markets.
• The Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills, run by the Art Gallery of New South Wales, preserves the painter's studio and shows his work.

If you want background on one major Australian painter before a day out, the essay on John Olsen and how to look at his landscapes is a good place to start, and the state gallery holds a large group of his works.

Walking in: etiquette

Commercial galleries are free to enter, and nobody expects you to buy anything. They exist to show art to as many people as possible, and a room full of interested visitors is good for the artist. A few habits make the visit easy for everyone.

• Say hello: a nod or a greeting to the person at the desk is enough. You do not need to explain yourself.
• Pick up the room sheet: this is the list of works, usually with numbers matching small labels on the wall, titles, media and sizes. It may also carry an essay. Prices are often included or available on request. Red dots beside numbers mean a work has been sold or reserved.
• Keep your hands to yourself: do not touch paintings, frames or sculptures, and keep bags away from the walls.
• Ask before photographing: many galleries are relaxed about phone photos for personal use, but some artists or shows ask you not to, and flash is rarely welcome.
• Ask questions: staff are usually glad to talk about the artist, the materials or how a work was made. You can also ask whether there are other works in the stockroom, or whether the artist has a show elsewhere.
• Openings are social: at an opening the room is crowded and noisy, the artist is usually present, and the work can be hard to see. Many people return on a quieter weekday to look properly.

If you are thinking about buying, the pieces in the first works room cover budgets, certificates and the questions to ask.

Accessibility

Sydney's commercial galleries occupy every kind of building, and access varies widely. Some are on a single level with step-free entry. Others are up a flight of stairs in a terrace house or on the first floor of a warehouse with no lift. Older buildings may have a step at the door and narrow corridors.

The practical steps are simple. Check the gallery's website, which often mentions access, or phone or email ahead to ask about steps, lifts, seating and toilets. If a gallery has stairs, staff can sometimes bring images or a room sheet to the door. Public galleries generally have lifts, accessible toilets, seating in the galleries and wheelchairs to borrow, and they publish access information on their websites. Large print room sheets and audio descriptions are more common in public institutions than commercial ones, but it never hurts to ask.

A worked example: one afternoon, four galleries and a state collection

Here is the kind of plan I make for a Saturday. The names are left out on purpose, because shows change, but the structure works anywhere.

1. Thursday evening: check and shortlist. Scroll through mailing list emails and a printed guide. Pick three or four commercial shows in one neighbourhood, for example the eastern suburbs. Check each gallery's website to confirm the show is open on Saturday and not in a changeover.
2. Map it. Put the galleries in walking order. Aim for no more than ten or fifteen minutes on foot between each.
3. Start late morning at a public gallery. Spend an hour and a half in the Australian rooms of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, then have lunch.
4. Early afternoon: the commercial round. Allow about twenty to thirty minutes in each commercial gallery. Pick up the room sheet, walk the room once quickly, then go back to the two or three works that held you.
5. Take a break after the second gallery. A coffee or ten minutes on a bench resets your eyes. Looking is tiring, and the fourth show of the day always gets less attention than the first.
6. Write one line per show. Before you leave each gallery, note one work you liked and why. A week later those lines are worth more than any photograph.

Four commercial galleries and a state collection is plenty for one day. If the list grows longer, split it across two weekends.

Questions worth asking

Do I need an invitation to go to an opening?

Usually not. Most openings are open to the public, and the invitation is simply the way the gallery spreads the word. If a gallery wants a private event, its invitation or website will say so.

Is it rude to walk in and leave after five minutes?

No. People drop in and out of commercial galleries all day. Staff would rather you looked for five minutes than not at all. If something held your attention, it is kind to say so on the way out.

How do I know a show is still on?

Check the gallery's own website or social media on the day you plan to go. Printed guides are prepared in advance and cannot account for late changes.

Can I bring children?

Generally yes, with sensible supervision. Quiet weekday mornings are easier than openings. Explain the no-touching rule before you go in.

For more on openings, room sheets and how shows are hung, browse the gallery-going room.