The Best Art Galleries In Sydney To Visit In 2025

If you're in need of a little creative inspiration, or the weather is too cold, too hot or too wet—Sydney/Eora has a solid collection of brilliant art galleries to peruse.

From hard-hitting commercial spaces to offbeat artist-run initiatives and sprawling private collections, there's something for everyone. These are Urban List's top picks for the best art galleries in Sydney.

Sydney's Best Art Galleries At A Glance

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• Best Sydney Art Galleries For Curation
• Best Sydney Art Galleries For Activations & Performance

Best Sydney Art Galleries For Curation

China Heights

Level 3, 16/28 Foster Street, Surry Hills

Image credit: China Heights | Instagram

Perched on the third floor of a Foster Street warehouse, China Heights has been a fixture of Sydney’s creative landscape since 2004. Blurring the line between gallery and conceptual project space, it has long been a launchpad for artists whose work sits at the intersection of art, design and subculture.

Founded and run by Edward Woodley and Mark Drew, the gallery has built its reputation on championing emerging talent and giving creators room to experiment.

Over the years, China Heights has helped nurture some of Sydney’s most exciting names (think Mark Whalen, Trent Whitehead, and Numskull), while also contributing to countless public projects, independent installations and commercial collaborations that shape Australia’s contemporary art scene.

Insider intel

• Part of the magic is its pace: exhibitions turn over quickly, the program is ever-changing, and you never quite know what you’ll find on any given visit.

Station

91 Campbell Street, Surry Hills

Image credit: Station | Instagram

With roots in Melbourne and a second gallery in Sydney, STATION has been shaping Australia’s contemporary art landscape since 2011. The gallery is known for its sharply curated, conceptually driven program—one that pushes beyond surface aesthetics to champion artists engaged in rich, critical and often challenging practices.

Representing a diverse mix of established and emerging artists from Australia and abroad, STATION is committed to placing local talent within an international conversation. Their exhibitions often feel globally attuned yet unmistakably grounded in the Australian context, making the gallery a key connector between homegrown voices and the wider art world.

Insider intel

• Keep an eye on their calendar, too—the gallery regularly stages ambitious exhibitions and collaborations that attract curators, collectors and art lovers from across the country.

Campbelltown Arts Centre

1 Art Gallery Road, Campbelltown

Image credit: Campbelltown Arts Centre | Instagram

On Dharawal land in South West Sydney, Campbelltown Arts Centre (CAC) is a cultural powerhouse known for pushing boundaries and backing bold ideas. Deeply rooted in Western Sydney’s creative scene, CAC connects local stories to national and international audiences, all while keeping its community at the core. CAC works closely with artists and communities to create new works that spark conversation, challenge expectations and spotlight voices often missing from the mainstream.

The centre champions risk-taking and experimentation, with a strong focus on nurturing emerging talent through skills development and creative pathways. Its multidisciplinary approach means you’ll find everything from large-scale installations to community-led projects and unexpected collaborations.

Insider intel

• Their big festival-style programs and major commissions are must-sees—this is where CAC’s creative energy truly comes alive.

HAKE House Of Art

1/275 Harbord Road, Dee Why

Image credit: HAKE House | Instagram

Tucked away in Dee Why on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, HAKE House of Art is a serene and stylish space that merges contemporary art with a conscious nod to design and craftsmanship. Founded in 2022 by artists and curators Ash Holmes, Jake Elliott, and Sammy Nugent, HAKE has quickly evolved into a creative hub, proudly representing over 30 artists and hosting monthly exhibitions that highlight both emerging and established talent.

More than a gallery, HAKE feels like a living, breathing space—one that reflects a deep respect for nature, materiality, and the handmade. The gallery’s aesthetic takes cues from Japanese design philosophy, valuing timelessness and craft. Each exhibition carries this same sensibility, offering visitors a moment to pause and connect with art that is thoughtful, tactile, and grounded in place.

Insider intel

• Keep an eye out for HAKE’s rotating monthly shows—they’re always beautifully curated and often feature Sydney’s most exciting up-and-coming artists. And if you’re after design inspiration, the space itself is worth the visit alone: airy, minimal, and effortlessly calming.

White Rabbit Gallery

30 Balfour Street, Chippendale

Image credit: White Rabbit Gallery | Jiang Zhi and He An by Hamish McIntosh

Collector and philanthropist Dr Judith Neilson set up White Rabbit Gallery more than a decade ago to showcase her private collection of contemporary Chinese art, which she believes should be accessible for all to appreciate. 

Hosting a handful of exhibitions a year, the works on show are nothing short of mind-blowing, and the space itself is impressive in its architecture—make sure you head up to the completely immersive cinema room on the top level.

Insider intel

• Enjoy one of the daily free guided tours at 11am, 1pm and 3pm, and end your visit with some handmade dumplings and the best Chinese tea at the lobby teahouse.

Darren Knight Gallery

840 Elizabeth Street, Waterloo 

Image credit: Darren Knight Gallery | Supplied

One of the most approachable gallerists in town, Darren Knight’s astute eye has kept his eponymous gallery running since 1992, relocating to Waterloo in 1997 from Melbourne.

Averaging 16 shows per year plus fairs, the gallery holds two exhibitions across its two floors at a time, with the occasional artist talk and performances with non-gallery artists, curators and musicians.

Insider intel

• The exhibitions here are as varied as they are fresh, encompassing painting, photography, textile works, video and documentary pieces, and so much more—take your chances and drop in to see what's on show.

Sullivan+Strumpf

799 Elizabeth Street, Zetland

Image credit: Sullivan+Strumpf | Instagram

Just three days after her arrival to Sydney from Brisbane, Joanna Strumpf met Ursula Sullivan. Working together for a well-known art dealer, the pair became fast friends. Together, they have amassed an impressive art collection that has formed the basis of their gallery, which opened in 2005. 

With their ears to the ground across the Asia-Pacific, they represent the cutting-edge works of contemporary art in the region, working across art exhibitions, museums, major art fairs, publications and audience engagement programmes.

Insider intel

• In 2016, the power duo became the first Australian gallerists to have a permanent space in Asia with their outpost in Singapore.

Chalk Horse

167 William Street, Darlinghurst 

Image credit: Chalk Horse | Instagram

In Darlinghurst's hub of galleries and cultural spaces, Chalk Horse is a must-visit for its range of works by Australian and international artists.

As well as showcasing and representing a serious selection, this gallery is committed to producing curatorial projects in Australia and Asia, and promoting Australian artists internationally, so you know you're in for world-class works.

Insider intel

• Walk 10 minutes down the road, and you'll find yourself at The Waratah—perfect for an afternoon drink or early dinner.

Firstdraft

13/17 Riley Street, Woolloomooloo

Image credit: Firstdraft | Instagram

Australia’s longest-running artist-led organisation, Firstdraft is hands-down the cool kid of the art scene and incubator to some of the country’s best artists, writers, and leading cultural workers.

Hosting three to four exhibitions per month from January through to November that champion risk and ambition, the program is developed through a twice-yearly call-out, open to all.

Insider intel

• Their annual fundraising auction is hotly anticipated, seeing artists who started at Firstdraft return to donate some killer works available for a fraction of their commercial price.

AIRspace Projects

10 Junction Street, Marrickville

Image credit: AIRSpace Projects | Supplied

In 2014 artists Sally Clarke and Brenda Factor went searching for a studio and ended up signing the lease on a run-down warehouse space that had been both a garage and a sweatshop in its former life. The building has since been transformed into one of Sydney’s top not-for-profit artist-run initiatives, AIRspace Projects, run by a tight-knit board of accomplished practitioners.

Insider intel

• New exhibitions open on the first Friday of every month and run for three weeks (with the gallery closing for the remainder of the month), with both solo and thematically curated exhibitions held in the space.

Best Sydney Art Galleries For Activations & Performance

Rainbow Studios

348 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst

Image credit: Rainbow Studios | Instagram

Right on one of Darlinghurst’s most iconic corners, Rainbow Studios is the creative playground dreamed up by founders Brent Gold and Jade Gillett. Part gallery, part event space and part cultural hangout, it’s a home for art of the moment and a launchpad for the creatives who’ll shape what’s next.

Housed in a 1934 Liverpool Street building, the studio blends retro charm with a modern, open-minded energy. One week it’s a gallery, the next it’s hosting a pop-up, party or collaboration—you never quite know what you’ll walk into, and that’s the point. The space brings together minimalists, maximalists, first-timers and seasoned art lovers in an environment where connection comes easy.

Insider intel

• Rainbow Studios has grown fast, recently expanding across two levels to keep up with its buzzing community. With a stacked calendar of local and international showcases lined up for 2025, it’s set to stay one of Sydney’s most exciting creative hubs.

COMA

37 Chapel Street, Marrickville

Image credit: COMA | Instagram

COMA gallery was founded in November 2016, and has presented artists that push the envelope of Australian contemporary practice aesthetically and conceptually.

Their flagship Marrickville location opened in 2025, transforming a 490-square-metre warehouse on Chapel Street, into an expansive gallery with an exhibition area, private viewing rooms, on-site storage, and a merchandise space.

Insider intel

• COMA regularly hosts moderated talks, exhibition walk-throughs, readings, and private artist meetings.

Cement Fondu

Paddington

Image credit:  Cement Fondu | Supplied

Once home to acclaimed photography gallery STILLS, Cement Fondu has maintained momentum with a stack of impressive shows and out-of-the-box programming of visual arts exhibitions that feature performance, dance and music.

Take, for example, a dress-up photo shoot where gallery-goers were draped in blankets made by artist Sione Monu, entertained by DJ Leo Tanoi, and served up drinks courtesy of Young Henrys.

Insider intel

• Cement Fondu doesn’t represent artists in the traditional sense but instead offers a platform for them to pursue experimental, non-traditional forms of art-making. 

Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery

8 Soudan Lane, Paddington

Image credit: Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery | Supplied

Director Roslyn Oxley has been shaping the biggest names in the art scene since she threw open her gallery doors in the epicentre of Paddington in 1982.

Needless to say, the gallery has fostered the careers of some of the most influential Australian artists working today, including Tracey Moffatt, Jenny Watson, Fiona Hall, Patricia Piccinini, Bill Henson, Imants Tillers and Dale Frank.

Insider intel

• From orchestral performances to artist talks and private dinners, the gallery stages a dynamic roster of events to pair with regularly changing exhibitions.

Art Gallery Of NSW

Art Gallery Rd, Sydney CBD

Image credit: Destination NSW | Supplied

AGNSW had to feature on this list—especially following its massive second wing addition in late 2022. This massive space on the edge of the city boasts a hugely diverse collection of Aboriginal art, historic and contemporary Australian and international art, and a rolling lineup of interactive and immersive events and experiences.

Insider intel

• Head down to the tanks of the new North Building (which were once navy oil tanks) to experience art in a truly unique setting, or marvel at the likes of Rubens, Monet, and Sidney Nolan. 

Gallery Brave

342 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills

Sitting proudly in the heart of Sydney’s creative scene, Gallery Brave is the bold new art and design space from independent agency Today the Brave. More than a gallery, it’s a street-facing hub for exhibitions, installations and immersive experiences that blur the lines between art, culture, and brand expression.

Launching with original works by American artist and activist Shepard Fairey (the founder of OBEY) and a curated lineup of local and emerging creatives, Gallery Brave sets out to make art accessible, disruptive, and alive. 

Insider intel

• Drop by midweek to catch new exhibitions, installations and launches as they roll out. The gallery opens every Wednesday, so keep an eye on Today the Brave’s socials for event invites, merch drops, and a first look at what’s next in Sydney’s creative underground.

Main image credit: Hake House | Instagram

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