Fortyfivedownstairs

A unique multi-arts venue and cultural incubator, fortyfivedownstairs has a twenty-year history of supporting the development of independent artists across the visual and performing arts.

Located in Melbourne’s CBD, fortyfivedownstairs has two exhibition spaces, and a flexible theatre and event venue, which operate all year round. Venturing one floor below street level, the gallery exhibits a diverse range of art forms, from photography, to drawing, to sound art, and more.

One floor further still, down into the building’s basement, the warehouse-style theatre space provides a home for an extraordinary array of ground-breaking works in theatre, cabaret, music, opera and dance. One week you could be attending a classical music recital, the next, the world premiere of a new Australian play featuring award-winning actors.

Fortyfivedownstairs

45 Flinders Lane Melbourne VIC 3000

03 9662 9966

fortyfivedownstairs.com

Tue to Fri 12pm–7pm,
Sat 12pm–4pm.
Opening nights 5pm–7pm.

Exhibitions

Going Places

Fiona O’Byrne

19 Aug - 30 Aug

colour.field.echo

Amanda Johnson, Michele Burder and Susan Watson Knight.

5 Aug - 30 Aug

Feature

Barbara Kruger: THINK OF ME THINKING OF YOU

For decades, beginning well before the advent of social media, Barbara Kruger’s prescient use of words and text has invited people to consider their context in contemporary society. In Brisbane, between 4–7 September, audiences may experience her concise, dynamic aesthetic within the internationally acclaimed Gems delivered by choreographer Benjamin Millepied and the L.A. Dance Project.

Louise Martin-Chew

News

The Hadley’s Art Prize Winner is announced

New South Wales-based artist Sophie Cape, has won the Hadley’s Art Prize for 2025. The winning piece, alongside the 28 finalists, will be on display at Hadley’s Orient Hotel, Hobart until 21 September.

Art Guide Australia

Feature

Listening with Discomfort and Possibility

For Listening Acts at the Now or Never Festival, the music and performance company Chamber Made invited artists to interrogate the intersection between the body, listening and technology.

Josephine Mead

Feature

The kimono is more than an artefact and more than clothing. It is a concept artists will make their own

Over 70 fabulous garments of exquisite craftsmanship – some made of silk with gold and silver embroidery and dazzling designs – have been assembled within a context of over 150 paintings, posters, wood block prints, magazines and decorative arts. Although many of the items have never been previously exhibited in Australia, most are now in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria, with many specifically acquired for this exhibition.

Sasha Grishin

In Pictures

The peoples’ art collection is on display

In celebration of Artbank’s 45-year anniversary, two major exhibitions and a publication are on display. View, in pictures, Artbank’s Sydney exhibition, Art Text/Text Art.

Art Guide Australia

News

The 2025 NATSIAA winners are announced

Gaypalani Waṉambi has just won the 2025 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA), Australia’s longest running and most prestigious art awards of its kind.

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Fortyfivedownstairs