Firstdraft

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.

29/05/2026

Join us on Saturday, the 6th of June, from 2—4 pm, for a workshop on proposal writing from Zoe Theodore.

This 3-hour workshop at Firstdraft explores application writing as a creative and critical practice rather than a bureaucratic exercise. Designed for emerging artists applying for open calls, funding, residencies, and professional opportunities, the session focuses on analysing institutional language, responding to selection criteria in plain language, and building a personal lexicon of practice to draw from across applications.

ZOE THEODORE is a curator and arts writer working on Gadigal Country. She is currently Curator, Programs at Artspace, Sydney.��Zoe regularly works directly with artists to realise new commissions, exhibitions and public programs for museums, galleries and organisations including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, the Immigration Museum, Melbourne, Monash University Museum of Art, Melbourne, BUS Projects, and the Biennale of Sydney. She was the Project Coordinator and Associate Researcher on the ARC-supported Precarious Movements: Choreography and the Museum project from 2021-2024.

All welcome. Get tickets through the link in our bio. 🔗

Join us on 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟮𝟵 𝗠𝗮𝘆, 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟲–𝟴 𝗽𝗺 to open Edward Barns’ new solo exhibition, 𝙂𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘.𝘎𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 is Edward Barns’...
27/05/2026

Join us on 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟮𝟵 𝗠𝗮𝘆, 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟲–𝟴 𝗽𝗺 to open Edward Barns’ new solo exhibition, 𝙂𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘.

𝘎𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 is Edward Barns’ () second solo exhibition and first Sydney presentation, capturing the animals surrounding his home in Gumma on the Mid North Coast of NSW. Drawn from observing the surrounding environment with his mother, Donna, the paintings reflect the wildlife Ed greets daily, alongside an immersive soundscape created together that brings the landscape to life.
�Some of the artists will be in conversation the following 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟭𝟭, 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟮—𝟰 𝗽𝗺 for our artist talks.��All welcome! RSVP to both Friday & Saturday at the link in our bio. 🔗



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Edward Barns, 𝘗𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘭 (𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘴), 2026, Image by Jack Hodges.

Artist portrait courtesy Jack Hodges.

Join us next Wednesday, the 3rd of June, from 5.30—7.30 pm, for a seminar on starting an ARI from the directors of MEGA—...
26/05/2026

Join us next Wednesday, the 3rd of June, from 5.30—7.30 pm, for a seminar on starting an ARI from the directors of MEGA— Anthea Duffy and George Squires.

George & Anthea will be sharing their experience of running MEGA, offering advice for those interested in setting up their own spaces, and asking the fundamental question— what exactly is an ARI?

All welcome! Get tickets through the link in our bio. 🔗

Established in 2024, Mega () is an independent artist-run initiative located in Redfern, Sydney, Australia, with an emphasis on experimental and spatial practice, directed by Anthea Duffy and George Squires.

This project is part of our Artist Development Program and has been enabled by the generous support of the City of Sydney.

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Margaret Roberts, Loop, Firstdraft, 1995. Image courtesy Sharyn Raggett.

Join us on 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟮𝟵 𝗠𝗮𝘆, 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟲–𝟴 𝗽𝗺 to open Kristone Capistrano’s new solo exhibition (), 𝙋𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙙.𝙋𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙙 reima...
25/05/2026

Join us on 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟮𝟵 𝗠𝗮𝘆, 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟲–𝟴 𝗽𝗺 to open Kristone Capistrano’s new solo exhibition (), 𝙋𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙙.

𝙋𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙙 reimagines the endless scroll as a wind-activated field of drawing, movement and landscape. Through accumulation of analogue mark-making, Kristone Capistrano considers how the handmade image might interrupt screen-based habits of looking, drawing viewers into a slower encounter with memory, presence and the sublime.�

Kristone Capistrano () is a Filipino-Australian artist working across traditional and experimental drawing, moving image and performance. His practice explores mortality, transience, and contemporary figuration, visualising paper as a metaphor for human skin, and mark-making as a form of human touch: a vehicle for generosity and care.

Some of the artists will be in conversation the following 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟭𝟭, 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟮—𝟰 𝗽𝗺 for our artist talks.��All welcome! RSVP to both Friday & Saturday at the link in our bio. 🔗

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Portrait of Kristone Capistrano; Kristone Capistrano working in the studio. Images courtesy JD Yu ().

Based in Adelaide or South Australia and interested in a Firstdraft exhibition?Now’s your chance!ACE, in partnership wit...
24/05/2026

Based in Adelaide or South Australia and interested in a Firstdraft exhibition?

Now’s your chance!

ACE, in partnership with Firstdraft, is offering a short-term studio residency culminating in an exhibition at Firstdraft in Sydney.

Applications are open through the 8th of June, 11.59 pm (ACST). Check the link in our bio for details and to apply. 🔗

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2024 ACE x Firstdraft Short-term residency recipient Emmaline Zanelli, 'Magic Cave', Firstdraft, 2024, and in Primavera, 2025, at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney. Image courtesy Jessica Maurer.

Join us on 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟮𝟵 𝗠𝗮𝘆, 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟲–𝟴 𝗽𝗺 for the opening of 𝘽𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠-𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙋𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩, a group exhibition which dives into the rela...
23/05/2026

Join us on 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟮𝟵 𝗠𝗮𝘆, 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟲–𝟴 𝗽𝗺 for the opening of 𝘽𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠-𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙋𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩, a group exhibition which dives into the relationship between art and labour, featuring Sophia Cai (), Benita Laylim (), Amy Prcevich, and Daniel Sherington ().

The break-even point occurs when the total cost of a venture is equal to the total earnings. Arriving at break-even means there is neither a profit nor a loss: it's a point of equilibrium. Identifying this point provides a metric for cost-benefit analysis, it's a way to locate value, a way to answer the question, is it worth it?

Where does this point occur when we frame our practice as work or our work as practice? We make adjustments and concessions to include intangible, non-financial benefits as a form of earning instead of income. We’re doing it for the love of it, which we know is a highly liquid asset, or maybe there is some kind of spiritual currency that we can capitalise on by participating in art making and facilitation.

Artists often moonlight as arts workers, though when preparing tax returns, it is clear which of these is the primary occupation, and it is rarely the one that takes place in the studio.

So often, discourse about art as work, work in the arts, is antagonistic. It seems as though there are very few benefits, financial or otherwise, to working in the arts, or positioning art as work, so why do it? Where do we break-even when the contribution is human capital, and the earnings are so rarely financial?

Break-even point is a speculative exhibition exploring labour in art, looking at what happens at the intersection of the arts worker/artist experience, and wondering what makes it worth it?

This project is developed by Firstdraft.

�Some of the artists will be in conversation the following 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟭𝟭, 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟮—𝟰 𝗽𝗺 for our artist talks.��All welcome! RSVP to both Friday & Saturday at the link in our bio. 🔗

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Artist/installer Valentina Penkova taking a break on Archibald Judging weekend, 2024. Image courtesy Benita Laylim.

Join us on 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟮𝟵 𝗠𝗮𝘆, 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟲–𝟴 𝗽𝗺 for the opening of 𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙆𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙋𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙨. This exhibition explores sen...
22/05/2026

Join us on 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟮𝟵 𝗠𝗮𝘆, 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟲–𝟴 𝗽𝗺 for the opening of 𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙆𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙋𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙨.

This exhibition explores sentiments of loneliness, grief and misunderstanding as digital connection feels atomised through quantity rather than quality of contact. What happens when signals are crossed rather than interrupted? What does it mean to feel isolated in a mass culture distilled or distorted through personalisation, algorithms and a lack of shared language? How and where do we find connection when we are struggling to relate to each other? 

This exhibition examines how the culture we consume determines how we connect and considers the challenges faced when trying to build sincere relationships as channels of communication change, shift or regress.

With work from Si Yi Shen (), Rainer Ciar (), gigis_revenge_ (), Aimee Meng (), and Wolfgang Saker ().

This project is developed by Firstdraft.

Some of the artists will be in conversation the following 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟭𝟭, 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟮—𝟰 𝗽𝗺 for our artist talks.

All welcome! RSVP to both Friday & Saturday at the link in our bio. 🔗

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gigis_revenge_, 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭, 2026, JavaScript browser extension.

Semester 2 of our Artist Development Series continues on the 30th of May, with a seminar from the preeminent Daniel Mudi...
21/05/2026

Semester 2 of our Artist Development Series continues on the 30th of May, with a seminar from the preeminent Daniel Mudie Cunningham on developing your curatorial practice. Tickets available through our bio. 🔗

Dr Daniel Mudie Cunningham will present an illustrated talk on his curatorial practice over three-decades, drawing on his experience across artist-run and institutional contexts. The session will explore how his work as an artist often informs his approach to curation, with a focus on archives, storytelling and contemporary Australian practice. He will also reflect on navigating artist/curator relationships, offering insights into the practical and conceptual frameworks that shape exhibitions and programs, followed by an open discussion.

Stick around afterwards for artist talks from our current exhibitions from 2 pm!

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DANIEL MUDIE CUNNINGHAM () is an artist, curator, writer and educator, and the Director of Wollongong Art Gallery.
As a respected arts leader and curator he has held roles at institutions including Carriageworks, Performance Space, Artbank, Cementa, Hazelhurst Arts Centre; and teaching roles at the National Art School and Western Sydney University.
His artistic work spans video, photography, performance and text, tracing how memory, grief and identity are shaped through the technologies of popular culture and art history. His approach to curation and education extends his artistic concerns, using archives and storytelling to connect people, histories and ideas. Across three decades, his practice has approached the archive as both subject and medium — a living record where personal and collective histories converge. His acclaimed work Funeral Songs is a defining example of this distillation. His work has been widely exhibited and collected by institutions including the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the National Film and Sound Archive, Artbank, the City of Sydney, Murray Art Museum Albury, Campbelltown Arts Centre, and the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), which is currently presenting his ongoing video series Proud Mary.

Portrait courtesy Laura Moore.
Artwork: Tess de Quincey @ Firstdraft, 1995.

[Image ID: A carousel of three images. The first is an abstract red and blue colourfield crossed by CRT lines. The second is a portrait of Daniel Mudie Cunningham. The final image returns to the abstract colour field.]

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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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