Photography

TAKING BOOKINGS FOR 2027

TAP Gallery The Artist’s Paradise

Now taking bookings for 2027

In three decades TAP has become one of Sydney’s best-known visual arts spaces. In that time we’ve helped a diverse spectrum of artists showcase their works, with notable Australian talent.

We’d like to pay our respects to the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation on which our gallery stands.

The Artists’ Paradise, TAP Art Gallery, is one of Sydney’s longest-running artist-run spaces, set in the Surry Hills area of Sydney. Established in 1990, it’s been at the heart and soul of Sydney’s burgeoning art scene for three decades, with regularly changing exhibits with the chance to meet and talk to the artists about their work. Its entirely uncurated open approach means that it gives artists of all genres a chance to exhibit or perform their work, making it one of the most exciting galleries to visit in Sydney. Many artists have had their first show at TAP& moved on to reputable awards such as the Archibald & Portia Geach.

TAP stages many Annual art prizes giving artists of all abilities a chance to show their artwork

TAP Gallery hosts the following Art Prize Exhibitions annually:

February-March Mardi Gras – Outloud –  During Sydney Mardi Gras month. 8th March International Women’s Day Art Prize-  open to all female artists. June Pride  Art Prize-  during the PRIDE Festival Sydney June Real Refuses  – Rejects from the Archibald, Wynne & Sulman in the Art Gallery of NSW May Pyrmont Art Prize with food & wine festival November Head On – Nudes on TAP Photography Prize-  in conjunction with the HEADON Photo Festival and each year TAP will be Calling for Artists to enter their artworks.

Drawing classes are held on Mondays & any one is welcome to attend. Simply bring your own sketch pad & charcoals. Different professional artists models pose for the art class each week.

The painting classes are held on Fridays.

Painting the Nude Art Classes on Friday Night are rewarding guided classes featuring a live professional nude artist model. All art materials are supplied including acrylic paint & canvas. You are guided by Lesley Dimmick BFA, OAM to completion with your very own artwork to take home. The class is set in a welcoming art gallery environment with changing exhibitions on display. The event is suitable for beginners to advanced and you can bring drinks & nibbles along. Many attendees come back again and this class comes highly recommended. This event is a great idea for celebrating birthdays or hen’s events and if you can muster your own group of 10 or more you can choose another night such as Saturday evening to hold your very own special night.

Unlock your creative spirit & let go of the working week with a rewarding & fun evening painting or drawing. You can BUY A GIFT CARD for a special friend or loved one to attend the classes held every Monday & Friday evening at 7pm.

TAP Gallery has contributed much to the arts community in Sydney for the last 36 years. It has gained a respected reputation and developed a strong community not only within the visual arts, but also the performing arts. It is a vibrant welcoming space for beginners & established artists. Bring a friend, a new romantic interest or just come alone. You will feel at home. Wine & nibbles are also complimentary at the art openings. Come and meet interesting people. Subscribe to our free newsletter on line. You are always most welcome to come to TAP Gallery.

Email:info@tapgallery.org.au 

or phone:  0400 410 660 after 12 pm to book and pay by EFTPOS

Website: www.tapgallery.org.au

 

https://www.youtube.com/user/TapGallerySydney

 

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ON NOW GROUP SHOW- Spring Flash group show NEW GEMS

 

SPRING GROUP SHOW – NEW GEMS

Come to the TAP Art Gallery’s NEW GEMS Group show

This Saturday – TAP Artist Soiree

Invite your friends,  network & Celebrate TAP Artists

Meet new artists

 Saturday 12th September Drinks with Artist 5pm – on

Gallery Open Daily 12 – 6 pm

Grow your business & develop your community, a night you will never forget to remember

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MAGIC IN THE THIRD SPACE

MAGIC IN THE THIRD SPACE

27TH JULY – 2ND AUGUST

OPENING NIGHT TUESDAY 28TH JULY 6 – 9 PM

ENTERTAINMENT SATURDAY 1ST AUGUST from 5 PM

Three wonderful artists exhibiting their beautiful artworks.

Matthew Flood:

I was born in Darlinghurst on Gadigal Land and so wish to acknowledge the First Nations people of this country. My mother loved the paintings of Constable and my father gifted me with The Blue Boy by Gainsborough when I was very young.As a kid of the sixties I was more fascinated though by the Saturday morning cartoons which led to a love of Marvel and DC comic characters.As an adult I still have those interests but became more drawn to underground British and American artists. Coupling this obsession with pop culture with my interest in primitive man and animals I have created themes that reflect both. Worlds crossing over. Art and human history meets dinosaurs, aliens, robots, and monsters.

Ben Jaimen:

My work is driven by mystery, magic, colour, movement and energy, often moving between real places and imagined inner worlds. I’m drawn to streets at night,strange light, dreamlike spaces, and the feeling that ordinary scenes can suddenly become theatrical, symbolic or slightly enchanted.  I studied graphic design at Enmore Design Centre and completed a Diploma of Visual Arts at TAFE, where I developed a more personal painting practice.  My work often begins loosely, with colour, texture and movement, before figures, buildings, stories or atmospheres start to appear.  I like the sense that a painting can reveal itself gradually, almost like remembering a dream or walking into a scene halfway through.  For me, painting is a way of exploring emotion, place and imagination without needing everything to be fully explained. I’m interested in creating images that feel alive, open-ended and a little mysterious.

Ozge Guzel Ozcicek

I majored in English Literature and minored in Photography at Hacettepe University in Ankara, where I studied the fundamentals of photography alongside theatre, poetry, and prose. Literature taught me that every story contains another beneath its surface; photography taught me to search for those stories without words. My work continues to be shaped by the cinematic language of Stanley Kubrick, Ingmar Bergman, Jim Jarmusch, and Xavier Dolan, whose films have profoundly influenced the way I think about atmosphere, silence, composition, and the emotional weight of an image.  For me, photography is not simply a means of documenting the world, it is how I connect with it. I have not yet found a language for love, so I return instead to images. Photography has become the closest thing I know to a conversation: a way of reaching towards others, of making sense of distance, intimacy, memory, and belonging. Every encounter leaves behind a sensory memory; a smell, a sound, a silence that lingers long after the moment has passed. What interests me is not merely what is seen, but what continues to resonate after the image has disappeared.  I often think of photography as a way of tracing a path through the world.  In this sense, it resembles a songline, a living route through memory, place, and encounter. The photograph is never the destination; it is the path itself. Each frame becomes a point of connection between people, places, and moments that might otherwise remain unnoticed. Working primarily in black and white, I seek to strip away distraction and reveal the emotional architecture of an encounter, inviting viewers to bring their own memories, questions, and stories into the image.

ENTERTAINMENT SATURDAY 1ST AUGUST from 5 PM

Join Matthew and Friends on Saturday 1st August from 5 PM for entertainment from:

First band Caravan is a folk duo

Second performer John Maddox is a legendary jazz musician in Sydney.

 

 

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UNSEEN – AN EXHIBITION OF PHOTOGRAPHY 13th-19th JULY

UNSEEN

AN EXHIBITION OF PHOTOGRAPHY 13TH – 19TH JULY 2026

UNSEEN explores what lies beyond immediate visibility-what is unnoticed, unspoken, or overlooked. Through conceptual photography, we observe absence, residue, and the peripheral, where meaning emerges through inference and reflection. Here, seeing becomes an active process, and the unseen is understood not as its opposite, but as its extension.

We bring together a wonderful collection by Korean artists, Ben CS Byun, Cecilia Kim, Estelle Haejung Moon, Julia Kim, Kenny Kim and Roy Lee

JOIN US FOR THEIR OPENING FUNCTION ON TUESDAY 14TH JULY AT 6 PM.
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Pride Art Prize: Drinks with Artists: Thursday June 11th, 6pm, Presentations: Thursday June 18th, 6pm. Free events! All welcome.

Pride Art Prize 2026

TAP Gallery - Pride Art Prize 2026

Sydney Pride Festival 2026.

“Connected In Colour.”

To All Community Partners and Event Producers – Be part of Sydney Pride Festival 21st – 30th June 2026.

This year’s theme, “Connected in Colour,” celebrates the strength, diversity, and unity of our LGBTQIA+ community. 2026 also marks a major milestone, 15 years of Sydney Pride as a month-long festival, highlighting its growth into one of Sydney’s most important celebrations of culture, visibility, and connection. The festival will feature a vibrant mix of drag, theatre, live music, art, community events, forums, and fundraisers. We also honour the legacy of the 78ers of the first Sydney Mardi Gras and the impact of the 1969 Stonewall Riots, recognising the history that continues to shape Pride today.

“Connected in Colour is about celebrating the threads that tie us together as a community. No matter our differences, we are united by Pride.”

Glenn Hansen, co-ordinator, Sydney Pride Festival.

Donate to the PRIDE ART PRIZE

It is tax deductable and all funds raised go to the exhibiting artists

https://artists.australianculturalfund.org.au/s/project/a2EMn00000gO0ip

There will be a peoples choice vote awarded as well as the PRIX YVES HERNOT judges selection.

Opening and Drinks (BYO) with the Artists: Thursday Jun 11, 6pm

Prizes Presentation (including People’s Choice voting): Thursday June 18, 6pm.

TAP Gallery: tapgallery.org.au
Youtube: TAP TV – @TapGallerySydney
Instagram: @tapgallery and #tapgallery
Email: info@tapgallery.org.au * Telephone: 0400610440 .
Level 1, 259 Riley St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Pride Art Prize 2026

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CALLING ALL LGBTIQA+ ARTISTS to enter the OUTLOUD Exhibition and ART PRIZE in conjunction with Mardi Gras 2026

Outloud Art Prize 2026

Calling all LGBTQ Artists

OUTLoUD

Art Prize

Presentations Sat 5pm 21st Feb 2026

Artists deliver works to TAP Gallery by Mon 16th Feb 12-6pm  entry fee $25 per artwork

People’s Choice prize – guest can vote for their favourite

$1,000 IN PRIZES 

Judged & presented by Prix Yves Hernot

Knight/Chevalier of the < a href ="https://www.legiondhonneur.fr/en/decorations/french-orders-and-decorations/national-order-merits"> French National Order of Mérite (Culture)

Outloud is a popular annual event during the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival . The presentation night features special guests & live drag performances. The audience are invited to participate by voting for their favourite work on the night of the presentation. TAP Gallery has supported emerging artists, LGBTIQA+ events & community groups since 1989.

You Can Donate to this Exhibition via the Australian Cultural Fund where all donations are tax deductible by clicking on the link below:

https://artists.australianculturalfund.org.au/s/project/a2EMn00000bpoOr

Outloud Art Prize 2026

Outloud Art Prize 2026

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