Just as Northbridge is a shopper’s paradise, so is it the arty heart of our city, a veritable cornucopia of creativity and ingenious new thought. It’s home to over ten art galleries, one international film cinema, the main offices of West Australian Music Industry, Artrage and Propelarts as well as being home to Gotham Studios, the oldest studio spaces in the state. After all, Northbridge has a Cultural Centre because… well, it is the cultural centre.

Those giant steps everyone seems to hate walking down on the way to Connections from The Court? That’s the Cultural Centre. It’s essentially a giant sized amphitheatre designed so that people can sit there and listen to public addresses and see public performances – although neither of either occur there much anymore. Two of our city’s major art galleys – Art Galley of Western Australia (AGWA) and Perth Institute of Contemporary Art (PICA) – help frame the Cultural Centre along with the State Library and the Museum.

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AGWA is a jewel in Perth’s cultural crown. The state collection is impressively immense with the gallery housing well over 16,000 artworks – although at any time only 10% of them are ever on display. Throw in the Centenary Gallery, which exhibits paintings and decorative works from the 19th and 20th century, and you have a comprehensive gallery space, one which PICA, just around the corner, complements ingeniously.

PICA is home to all things postmodern and contemporary. It has a huge exhibition space downstairs, a west end gallery upstairs, a tower gallery, a gallery which screens new media film, a performance area, a bar, a reading room plus two studio spaces which are open to artistic residencies. Here, the emphasis is on new thinking, of cultivating the art scene which Perth’s younger generation is defining while tying in national and international works to provide a great context of the global art scene. Watch out for Silver – Artrage 25, curated by Andrew Gaynor and current Artrage CEO Marcus Canning, which opens mid-October and celebrates the past 25 years of Artrage.

Still in the Cultural Centre and The Blue Room is a theatrical hub, one that will only be eclipsed by the opening of the Heath Ledger Theatre early next year. Until then, The Blue Room serves as a deliciously funky theatre space which dares to air emerging works by some of Perth’s most aspiring and emerging talents. It works in conjunction with Rechabites Hall, a large Edwardian dance hall converted to theatre space which exists just around the corner on William Street.

Up William Street a little further is Keith & Lottie, a place where the art is decidedly nu skool. Here illustration, street art, design and photography step off the streets and into the gallery. The idea behind this space is that all the work that appears within has to have a commercial aspect to it, whether that be the content of the work or the merchandise associated with it (think badges, t-shirts, bags). The result is a space which exhibits the new and contemporary, the cutting edge and the cool. Upcoming exhibitions include Deathbot, Jessie Mitchell and Sophie Webber’s Faux Show and Bittersweet November, a tribute to the Polaroid camera with a distinct Perth twist. Oh, and watch out for Gav Fielding’s Buy and/or Die in the New Year.

Around the corner from Keith & Lottie is the Central TAFE Art Gallery which not only exhibits an array of work from TAFE students but also features the works of local and national artists from a variety of fields. Its exhibition calendar eclectic, but just like AGWA it holds an exhibition which will feature a selection of the best senior secondary public school students have to offer, with Young Originals running until October 11. Attached to this gallery is the Showcase Space, a gallery with street frontage dedicated to exhibiting the research and development of TAFE’s finest.

Of course, there are still a vast array of other galleries. KURB on William is dedicated to local emerging and established talent, although it’s incredibly grassroots and the work shifts from the ingenious to the safe in varying degrees. Elsewhere on William, Gingers Garage is a new upstairs exhibition space which seems to be offering an array of photographic exhibitions and interesting youth orientated works. At the other end of the spectrum – and William Street – is Turner Galleries, a space dedicated outstanding contemporary talent, that is home to such artists as Andrew Nicholls and Cherry Hood.

Over on Beaufort Street the Spectrum Project Space caters specifically to the work of Edith Cowan University students. However, it’s only open Wednesday through to Saturday from 2pm to 6pm, so if you plan on visiting here, make it during these times. You could even co-ordinate it with a visit to Perth Photography Centre, located just around the corner on Brisbane Street, next to the Brisbane Hotel, which is only open from Thursday to Sunday, 12pm to 6pm. And certainly not to be missed by any means is Breadbox, all the way over on the other side of town – on James Street behind super club Metropolis to be exact. Breadbox has a rich history of exhibitions which showcase local emerging talent and some national treasures. With the Silver Artrage Festival fast approaching, Breadbox will be one gallery to keep an eye on.

Finally there is Cinema Paradiso. This international film cinema is a much loved treasure. It’s not afraid of anything foreign or a little arthouse and it even loves – nay, embraces – queer culture, especially with the upcoming Pride Film Festival taking place there from October 1 through to 12. Yes, ten films sure to set our annual Pride Festival alight as they deliver an array of celluloid insights and delights. Visit www.pridewa.asn.au for a complete listing of Pride Film Festival screenings.

So…there you go. In a nutshell, Northbridge offers an array of artistic delights, the kind you won’t find in the other more formal – and more stuffy – galleries in the state. Northbridge is a veritable hub of creativity and new thinking. But don’t take my word for it…get up off the couch and explore. After all, art makes the world a far more interesting place.

Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA)
47 James Street
www.artgallery.wa.gov.au

Peth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA)
51 James Street
www.pica.org.au

The Blue Room
53 James Street
www.blueroom.org.au

Rechabites Hall
224 William Street
www.blueroom.org.au

Keith & Lottie
276 William Street
www.keithandlottie.com

Central TAFE Art Gallery & Showcase Space
12 Aberdeen Street
www.gallerycentral.com.au

KURB
310 William Street
www.kurbgallery.com

Gingers Garage
267 William Street
www.gingersgarage.com.au

Turner Galleries
470 William Street
www.turnergalleries.com.au

Spectrum Project Space
221 Beaufort Street
www.scca.ecu.edu.au/projects/spectrum

Perth Photography Centre
91 Brisbane Street
www.pcp.org.au

Breadbox
233 James Street
www.artrage.com.au/breadbox

Cinema Paradiso
164 James Street
www.lunapalace.com.au

Scott-Patrick Mitchell