Sydney-based art curator Amber Creswell Bell.Credit: Daniel Boud
Amber Creswell Bell is an inspiring art curator and author of four books on the arts.
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As an inspiring art curator and author of four books on the arts, including A Painted Landscape and Clay (both published by Thames & Hudson), Amber Creswell Bell is fully immersed in the Australian art scene. She also champions emerging and unrepresented artists and ceramicists as the creative director of Michael Reid Northern Beaches gallery. Here, she reveals where to go if you’re planning a fine-art gallery tour of Sydney and want to see as much work as possible.
What makes Sydney’s art scene so vibrant?
“The Sydney art scene ripples out right across the sprawling city, from the Art Gallery of New South Wales and Museum of Contemporary Art in the heart of town to slick urban galleries in the inner east, right through to pocket galleries in the suburbs. There’s free art and street art, and the offerings by the commercial and artist-led galleries provide a rich, exciting, multifaceted exposé of every genre and medium imaginable. There’s something for everybody.”
If you had just two days to explore Sydney’s fine-art galleries, which ones would you visit?
“I’d focus on four galleries. Tim Olsen’s Olsen Gallery, in leafy Woollahra, hosts a stable of contemporary emerging and established Australian artists. Foremost in the gallery’s stable is Tim’s father John Olsen, now regarded as Australia’s most esteemed living artist.
“King Street Gallery on William is situated in the heart of the Sydney city arts district, within walking distance of the Art Gallery of New South Wales and Museum of Contemporary Art. The gallery represents many of Australia’s most prominent established artists, including Elisabeth Cummings, Euan Macleod, Lucy Culliton, Idris Murphy, Wendy Sharpe and Guy Warren, across a number of media, including paintings, sculptures and works on paper.
“Michael Reid Gallery in Surry Hills represents the work of established contemporary Australian and New Zealand artists. Many of the gallery’s practitioners have a strong focus on contemporary photography as well as urban Australian Aboriginal artists. Michael Reid’s new gallery outpost in Newport, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, where I’m the creative director, is the home to emerging artists and ceramic exhibitions.
“Wentworth Galleries, in the city centre, embraces both European-style contemporary art and Australian Aboriginal art, eschewing the curatorial division between them by showing both together based on merit — with a strong leaning to popular and collectible Australian Aboriginal artists.”
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
People visiting the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney.
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Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
People visiting the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney.
19th Biennale of Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery has been contributing to the Sydney art scene since the 1980s.
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19th Biennale of Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery has been contributing to the Sydney art scene since the 1980s.
If you had more time, which other galleries would be on your list?
“I’d stick to the inner city so I could see as many galleries as possible. Arthouse Gallery in Rushcutters Bay is a must — it exhibits the work of emerging and established contemporary Australian artists, representing a stylistically varied, comprehensive view of contemporary art showcased in a beautiful space.
“In nearby Paddington, Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery has been a fixture on the local art scene since the 1980s and has played an enduring role in supporting the careers of some of Australia's most envelope-pushing contemporary artists, including Bill Henson and Del Kathryn Barton.
“Liverpool Street Gallery, in Darlinghurst, exhibits innovative abstract, realist and figurative paintings, as well as sculptures. The exciting combination of different media and diverse artists is designed to encourage both collectors and admirers of contemporary art.
“Another East Sydney fixture is .M Contemporary, which aims to create a cross-cultural conversation through exhibiting and supporting emerging and established artists from around the world. The all-encompassing gamut of genres includes painting, sculpture, ceramic, as well as light and digital technologies.
“I’d also head to Ken Done Gallery in The Rocks — Ken is an art-industry stalwart and one of the nation’s most recognised and beloved artists. His work is often described as being the most original style to come out of Australia, and his paintings are in collections throughout the world.”
What’s the best thing about smaller Sydney galleries?
“There are some brilliant small and artist-led galleries in Sydney, which showcase dynamic and exciting art — often from more emerging artists. They often take risks and have an exciting, edgy element to their offerings. Great examples are Firstdraft in Woolloomooloo, China Heights in Surry Hills and Wellington St Projects in Chippendale.”
Arthouse Gallery in Sydney’s Rushcutters Bay. Credit: Clifford How's Antipodean Light 2020 Courtesy of Arthouse Gallery Sydney
Arthouse Gallery exhibits the work of emerging and established contemporary Australian artists
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Arthouse Gallery in Sydney’s Rushcutters Bay. Credit: Clifford How's Antipodean Light 2020 Courtesy of Arthouse Gallery Sydney
Arthouse Gallery exhibits the work of emerging and established contemporary Australian artists
More Inspirational Stories
Art Gallery of New South Wales, SydneyCredit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying a visit the the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney.
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Come alive with the possibilities as you delve into Sydney’s dynamic arts scene and cultural institutions. Feel moved as you immerse in striking contemporary artworks at public and private galleries, and take in cutting-edge performances and exhibitions across the city.
Be moved by must-see cultural landmarks
Marvel at the ‘sails’ of the Sydney Opera House as you approach this iconic performing arts venue, then join one of several fascinating tours on offer here. Discover the building’s unique history and construction on an Architectural Tour, or go behind the scenes on a Backstage Tour. See a show from an ever-changing program of theatre, dance and music in one of the venue’s many impressive performance spaces, then head to the Opera Bar to take in the front-of-house harbour view as you enjoy seasonal fare and a refreshing drink.
Appreciate the striking art deco façade and waterfront location of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), across the water from the Sydney Opera House at Explore the diversity of Australian modern art as you view highlights of a collection of more than 4,000 works, including a significant body of works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. Take time out and digest the wonderful works you’ve just seen as you enjoy panoramic views across Sydney Harbour from the museum’s rooftop café.
Feel far away from the bustle of the city centre as you enter the Domain parklands next to the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and make your way to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the leading museum of art in the state. Step back in time to view colonial and 19th-century Australian works and European masters, as well as a dedicated gallery of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art. Then explore Sydney Modern, the AGNSW’s dynamic new addition, to discover site-specific works by leading Australian and international artists.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoy a tour in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
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Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoy a tour in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, The Rocks Credit: Destination NSW
Friends arriving outside the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in The Rocks, Sydney...Artwork: Moon in a Dew Drop.Artist: Lindy Lee
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Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, The Rocks Credit: Destination NSW
Friends arriving outside the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in The Rocks, Sydney...Artwork: Moon in a Dew Drop.Artist: Lindy Lee
Immerse in art in cutting-edge galleries
Lose track of time as you explore a myriad of inner-Sydney art galleries. Delight in a dip into one of the world’s most significant collections of Chinese contemporary art at the White Rabbit Gallery in Chippendale, on the fringe of the city centre. Be intrigued by the selection from philanthropist Judith Neilson’s collection of almost 3,000 works created in China since 2000 by around 750 artists, before taking in the tranquil vibe at the gallery’s Teahouse as you snack on handmade dumplings and fine Chinese and Taiwanese tea. (You can also plan ahead and enter the ballot for tickets to cutting-edge performances at Phoenix Central Park, Judith Neilson’s risk-taking cultural centre a short walk from White Rabbit Gallery.)
Lean into the grand scale of Carriageworks, a multi-arts centre housed in expansive former railway workshops in Eveleigh, a five-minute drive or around a 15-minute walk from White Rabbit Gallery. Keep an eye on Carriageworks’ events page for visual arts exhibitions and new performance works.
Take your time exploring the many art galleries dotted around the hip inner-city suburb of Surry Hills. Enter the fascinating world of significant Australian artist Brett Whiteley at Brett Whiteley Studio, tucked away in a side street off Crown Street, one of the main streets running through Surry Hills. Take in the singular atmosphere of the late artist’s former home and workplace, with its unfinished paintings, art equipment, books and graffiti wall of quotes and images, and view one of the changing exhibitions of the artist’s works.
Find yourself challenged and stimulated by the conceptual and design-driven art at independent Surry Hills gallery China Heights, then take the short walk under the train tracks to 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art in Haymarket. Learn about the Asian diaspora in Australia via contemporary art at this fascinating gallery run by the non-profit Asian Australian Artists’ Association Inc.
Thrill to a sense of discovery as you find leading commercial art galleries tucked away in the leafy streets of Paddington in Sydney’s inner east. Roam the side streets of this fashionable suburb to find the likes of Saint Cloche, where gallery director Kitty Clark fosters the city’s emerging artistic talents; Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, one of the most influential commercial art galleries in Australia; and Olsen, founded by Tim Olsen to represent the late John Olsen, one of the country’s greatest painters, and showcase contemporary Australian artists.
White Rabbit Gallery, Chippendale Credit: Destination NSW
Women walking through an exhibition at the White Rabbit Gallery, Chippendale.
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White Rabbit Gallery, Chippendale Credit: Destination NSW
Women walking through an exhibition at the White Rabbit Gallery, Chippendale.
Brett Whiteley Studio, Surry Hills Credit: James Horan; Destination NSW
Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills
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Brett Whiteley Studio, Surry Hills Credit: James Horan; Destination NSW
Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills