As you walk along the shores of Lake Burley Griffin, you may have noticed this gallery space under the hills on Queen Elizabeth Terrace. This is the National Gallery of Australia's Contemporary Art Gallery.
Front entrance, with a 25 metre artwork along the glass by Canberra artist Heather B.Swann.
A handy location, it has the constant stream locals and tourists walking past enjoying the view of Lake Burley Griffin.
As you walk inside, the gallery is quite spacious, with a few different areas to wander around and admire the contemporary art on display. Inside there is usually a security guard and a NGA representative at the gift shop, who are very knowledgeable if you have any questions. This gallery has only been open for about a year - it is meant to be the temporary home to the NGA's contemporary collection for a few years (at least) until they find a more permanent home. Although the National Gallery's contemporary collection is a lot larger, they don't have the display space at this time to show it all.
A large open space to browse around...
...with gift shop and NGA personnel to welcome you.
This temporary gallery will hold four exhibitions a year. The current exhibition at the time of writing is
"Streetwise: contemporary print culture" showcasing 40 of Australia's contemporary printmakers (1 May – 7 August 2015).
Streetwise Exhibition.
Ruark Lewis print, courtesy of the NGA Contemporary Art Gallery website.
If you enjoy Australian Contemporary Art, this is a Gallery would be ideal to visit time and time again with new exhibitions.
Even if you aren't a fan of Contemporary Art in general, it is still worth a stop whilst walking along the Lake - you may even find something you like.
This animated artwork on the TV screen grabs your attention as you first walk in the door...then you are invited to look behind the red curtain. Untitled.
In such a handy location, only a few minutes walk from the National Gallery itself, the Contemporary Art Gallery is an interesting stop whilst visiting other Canberra attractions in the area. It is important to note that this Gallery is open Wednesday to Sundays only.
With views out the door like this, it is definitely a gallery with a view!
...then head across the road for a coffee by the Lake..
