Adelaide Central Gallery
Exhibitions
Adelaide Central Gallery is a not-for-profit gallery housed within the Adelaide Central School of Art Administration building. This gallery shows curated exhibitions, with public opening events held every 8 weeks. This gallery exhibits works by ACSA graduates, South Australian, interstate and international artists with a focus on ambitious exhibition design.
Gallery Opening Hours: Monday to Friday, 9.00am – 5.00pm and Saturdays 10.00am – 2.00pm during exhibitions
Adelaide Central Gallery Director | Andrew Purvis, andrew.purvis@acsa.sa.edu.au
Volunteer gallery invigilators
We are seeking volunteers to mind the gallery on Saturdays. This role offers volunteers the opportunity to gain experience in a gallery setting and is ideal for anyone interested in learning more about contemporary art exhibitions, audience engagement, and daily gallery operations, including art sales and attendance records. Volunteers will receive a specialised curator briefing on the current exhibition as well as training and support before commencing their shift. You can sign up here.
Now showing
Pile-up
We are now showing 2026 SALA Festival Feature Artist Troy-Anthony Baylis’ solo exhibition Pile Up.
A descendant of the Jawoyn people from the Northern Territory, Troy-Anthony Baylis’ multi-disciplinary oeuvre encompasses painting, textiles, installation, and performance. Deploying sly wordplay and pop-culture allusion, Baylis’ work queers traditional ways of representing Aboriginality.
The exhibition essay is by BVA Honours graduate Brenton Drechsler.
Baylis is the subject of Wakefield Press monograph, Let It Bleed, by Sasha Grbich and Tikari Rigney. We have limited copies available for purchase.
Student exhibition Pop Culture is showing in the Alan Young AM Student Gallery.
Exhibition dates:
Monday – Friday 9.00am – 5.00pm
Saturdays – 10.00am – 2.00pm
Pile Up Public Programs
Artist talk: Saturday 29 August, 12.30-1.30pm RSVP
Coming up next
Gallery programs
Graduate Writing Program
Our graduate cohort are invited to apply to write catalogue text for upcoming gallery exhibitions. This paid opportunity allows the graduate to develop their writing skills further through interviewing the artist and receiving editorial support from Andrew Purvis.
ArtSpeak
We host a regular program of lunchtime artist talks of exhibiting artists, ACSA staff and graduates, and other visual art professionals. These talks are free and open to attend by the public. Upcoming talks can be found on our Events page.
During 2022, our ArtSpeak program was recorded as podcasts, with help from South Australian Living Artists Festival. These 40 minute podcasts are available to listen to here.
Student Exhibition Program
Curated by current ACSA students, the Student exhibitions are held in the Alan Young AM Student Gallery on the ground floor of the Teaching and Studios building.
Access via the administration office – open weekdays 8:30 to 16:30.
Current exhibition:
Future exhibitions:
Tuesday 22 Sept – Fairy Tales – entries open in August.
Graduate Exhibition
Each year the artworks from our graduating cohort of BVA and BVA(Hons) graduates are exhibited across the Teaching and Studios Building and the Adelaide Central Gallery. The opening of the exhibition includes a guest speaker who announces the graduate awards and officially opens the show. The exhibitions are also accompanied by a comprehensive catalogue with professional photography of each graduates’ work.
Graduate Catalogues
Wish You Were Here
2026 exhibition opens Sunday 8 November, 3-5pm.
Wish You Were Here! is a fundraising exhibition of postcard-sized artworks held in the gallery every year. Funds raised from this exhibition support the School’s various scholarships for students.
The beauty of this exhibition is that artworks are donated by artists across all sections of the contemporary art sector – including highly established artists from South Australia and interstate, up and coming emerging artists and also current art students from the school. This creates a unique viewing (and collecting) opportunity for visitors as they are able to see a lively cross section of contemporary art. All works are priced at $80, which allows all visitors to collect works affordably.
All artists are allowed (and encouraged) to donate a postcard-sized artwork of any media for this event. To know more please contact Andrew Purvis.
Adelaide Central Gallery
Adelaide Central Gallery is a not-for-profit contemporary art gallery located within Adelaide Central School of Art.
The Gallery exhibits a diverse annual program of curated exhibitions, featuring recent work from South Australia’s most esteemed emerging and established artists, as well as renowned national and international contemporary artists.
The cornerstone of the program is the annual Graduate Exhibition, which presents outstanding work from each of our graduating Bachelor of Visual Art and Bachelor of Visual Art (Honours) students.
Adelaide Central Gallery regularly partners with leading arts organisations, including the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide Festival Centre and ACE Gallery (formerly the Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia and the Australian Experimental Art Foundation) and the National Art School, Sydney. The Gallery has previously co-presented work as part of major state-wide festivals including TARNANTHI Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art, Adelaide Fringe Festival, OzAsia Festival and the South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival.
The Gallery manages a stockroom of works by lecturers and graduates that are regularly displayed throughout the School buildings. Adelaide Central Gallery also hosts ArtSpeak, a program of public talks, delivered by exhibiting artists, Adelaide Central School of Art staff and graduates, and other visual art professionals.
Gallery Opening Hours: Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm during exhibitions
Adelaide Central Gallery | Andrew Purvis, andrew.purvis@acsa.sa.edu.au