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.

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

Firstdraft was originally slated to run as a succinct two-year project by founders, Roger Crawford, Tess Horwitz, Narell...
15/09/2026

Firstdraft was originally slated to run as a succinct two-year project by founders, Roger Crawford, Tess Horwitz, Narelle Jubelin and Paul Saint from March 1986 until December 1987.
With new co-ordinators brought on from 1988 onwards, it was decided that Firstdraft would continue to operate as a non-profit gallery, with exhibitions selected from proposals on a non-discriminatory basis, regardless of age, race, s*x, or educational qualifications.

While there is no way to quantify the work of the artists and arts workers instrumental in Firstdraft’s success since that first show in 1986, 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦; an exhibition of archive material provides a glimpse, an incomplete survey of the monumental collective effort involved in tending to Firstdraft until now. Each artefact retained in our binders and archive boxes is evidence of the sheer volume of installs, the litres of paint used, the screws in the wall, monitors mounted, grants submitted, glasses of w**e poured, and exhibition applications read.

Join us in November to celebrate over 2,000 artists, over 150 Firstdraft board members and over 1,000 exhibitions spanning forty years and four venues.

More details coming soon— but head to the link in our bio if you want to share your story.

Thank you to everyone for joining us last Friday to open our September—October exhibitions. Full documentation is now on...
10/09/2026

Thank you to everyone for joining us last Friday to open our September—October exhibitions.

Full documentation is now online for these four fantastic shows.

The exhibitions will continue through the 10th of October: they look great in pictures but even better in person!

All images courtesy Jessica Maurer .

Address

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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