Firstdraft

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Firstdraft Where the future of contemporary art emerges. Firstdraft is located in the heart of Sydney and is Australia’s
longest running Artist-Run-Initiative.

Firstdraft has been
facilitating the development and exhibition of experimental artistic practice since 1986.

Are you an artist who likes selling work? Firstdraft has a hell of a deal for you.First Served will be an end-of-year ar...
21/10/2026

Are you an artist who likes selling work?

Firstdraft has a hell of a deal for you.

First Served will be an end-of-year art market— designed for gift-givers and keen-eyed collectors— and a chance for us all to make it big.

(Well, not huge. 60 x 60 x 60 cm, to be precise, and priced to sell fast).

Submit up to two works to put up for take-home sale online and in person from the 11th of December to the 7th of February.

You make some money. Firstdraft makes some money (to pay artists fees). Your beautiful work goes home with a beautiful person. Everyone's a winner and feels great about it, too.

Submissions are open through the 15th of November.
Click the link in our bio to read the FAQs and send through your work now.

Image: Jack Hodges, 'People’s Choice', 2025, Cardboard, Acrylic Paint, Liquid Nails, Packing tape, Video on loop, USB, TV screen, Speakers. 105 cm x 187 cm x 431 cm. Image Courtesy Jessica Maurer.

20/10/2026

DJ ANNOUNCEMENT—

Zambian-born and based between Sydney and Melbourne, DJ, composer and producer Shuko () channels his Southern African roots through a global palette of Afro-diasporic and low-end club sounds. Drawing from house, gqom, grime, bubbling, kuduro, footwork and funk, his sets are energetic and drum-driven, built firmly for the dancefloor.

Alongside propulsive, percussive rhythms, Shuko weaves spacious textures and buried melodies into his selections, bringing depth, emotion and atmosphere to his high-energy approach.

Come celebrate with Shuko and Firstdraft's community on the 14th of November, from 6—10 pm.

Like always, entry is free— but RSVP is highly encouraged.

Images & sound courtesy Shuko.

It’s the final week of our September—October exhibitions.Upstairs is Andrea Illés and Grace Marlow's energetic installat...
06/10/2026

It’s the final week of our September—October exhibitions.

Upstairs is Andrea Illés and Grace Marlow's energetic installation exhibition, ‘butterflies 88’, in gallery 1.

Gallery 2 features interdisciplinary/performance artist Amit German’s first foray into a solo gallery exhibition— ‘Hard Drive Soft Core / Wetware utopias’.

Downstairs we’ve got Kuweni Dias Mendis in gallery 3 and their solo exhibition ‘Riverscope’;

And in gallery 4 we welcome Bridget Baskerville to deliver the outcome from our ‘Three Days Walk’ exchange with , featuring an accompanying written work by Sydney-based writer Alanna O’Riley.

Come see them before Saturday, the 10th of October. We'll be open 11 - 8 on Wednesday and 11 - 5 on Thursday through Saturday!
disgrace____
baby

As part of our exchange with Canberra Contemporary, Bridget Baskerville () presents Three Days’ Walk, which explores the...
25/09/2026

As part of our exchange with Canberra Contemporary, Bridget Baskerville () presents Three Days’ Walk, which explores the impacts of human intervention and resource extraction on waterways in Australia and Berlin.

It features mild steel plates that have been submerged in water bodies across three locations and left to corrode. This method emphasises the agency of water and non-human entities within these controlled systems.⁠

Be sure to check out the exhibition and read Alanna O’Riley’s () accompanying written piece in the gallery anytime through the 10th of October.

Images courtesy Jessica Maurer .

Guided by conversations with research participants, Kuweni Dias Mendis’ () solo exhibition , Riverscope, follows three i...
24/09/2026

Guided by conversations with research participants, Kuweni Dias Mendis’ () solo exhibition , Riverscope, follows three interconnected threads: Dugulumba (Logan River), sovereignty and homelessness. ⁠
⁠
Riverscope is an offering of slow, relational art. It is an ode to those who walk with dignity despite remaining unseen, and a gesture towards a future shaped by radical care. ⁠
⁠
Come see this captivating exhibition and all our fantastic September-October exhibitions anytime through the 10th of October.

Images courtesy Jessica Maurer .

Cabling weaves through Amit German’s (.baby) solo exhibition, Hard Drive Soft Core / Wetware Utopias— between screens an...
23/09/2026

Cabling weaves through Amit German’s (.baby) solo exhibition, Hard Drive Soft Core / Wetware Utopias— between screens and the ‘composting’ digital documentation of their performance practice.

The exhibition slips between flesh and machine, following the trans body through glitches, feedback loops and unruly technologies. Using video synthesis, sound, performance and installation, the exhibition explores q***r and neurodivergent ways of learning, desiring and becoming. What strange knowledges emerge in refusing to function “correctly”?⁠

Be sure not to miss this amazing first presentation from one of Sydney’s most exciting early-career artists— all our wonderful September-October exhibitions continue through the 10th of October.

Images courtesy Jessica Maurer .

Have you seen 𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 88 from Andrea Ilés and Grace Marlow yet? The exhibition continues along with all our exciting...
22/09/2026

Have you seen 𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 88 from Andrea Ilés and Grace Marlow yet? The exhibition continues along with all our exciting September—October shows until the 10th.

𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘣𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥
𝘱𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦
𝘪 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘺-𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶
5 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴
𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘶 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯
𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘶 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵
𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘦
𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦
𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘴
𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺
𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘱 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦
𝘪 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭

𝘛𝘳𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯

Come through the gallery tomorrow from 11-8 and then until Saturday from 11-5!

disgrace____

Images courtesy Jessica Maurer

Firstdraft is Forty! As a part of our fortieth anniversary year, we are collecting stories, memories, histories and ima...
17/09/2026

Firstdraft is Forty!

As a part of our fortieth anniversary year, we are collecting stories, memories, histories and images from the people who helped us reach this milestone. Whether you are a board alumni, past exhibiting artist, former staff member, program participant, volunteer, or even a regular gallery visitor with fond memories of Firstdraft we want to hear from you

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13–17 Riley Street
Sydney, NSW
2011

Opening Hours

Wednesday 11am - 8pm
Thursday 11am - 5pm
Friday 11am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm

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