Kath Fries Studio: Gaffa Ten Years Exhibition

Gaffa has hit its first decade, and I'm proud to say that I've been working with the Gaffa team since 2006, when it was fist founded by Aidan Li and Kelly Robson at 330 Crown Street in Surry Hills NSW.

Gaffa Gallery at 330 Crown Street, Surry Hills
Opening night of our Four Steps Forward exhibition, 19 October 2006

I exhibited my first installation works at the Gaffa space on Crown Street, in a little group show titled Four Steps Forward 2006. Then in 2007, when Gaffa moved to 1/7 Randle Street in Surry Hills, and I was involved in several more exhibitions, Through the Eye of a Needle 2008; Lure Allure Illusion 2009; Queen and Country 2009; and Le Fil (the thread) 2009. In 2010 Gaffa moved to 281 Clarence Street Sydney, and I exhibited in the launch exhibition Fidelity 2010; then a solo exhibition Proliferation 2010; Art and About 2010; There 2010; and a performative collaboration in 2011; then I worked with Gaffa on the John Fries Memorial Prize 2012 and John Fries Memorial Prize 2013.

Gaffa has been very important for my practice in this formative decade, and I know it has been for many other emerging and early career artists. As well as being friendly, reliable and supportive; providing affordable exhibition space and being open to unusual experimental works; Gaffa has been a meeting ground and connection point for artists, so many friendships and professional relationships have grown from this place.

Thank you Gaffa, I'm delighted to have my work included in your Ten Years Exhibition.

Gaffa gallery Ten Years Exhibition invitation

GAFFA - CREATIVE PRECINCT: starting from humble beginnings as a small studio and gallery space in Surry Hills founded by Aidan Li and Kelly Robson, Gaffa is now a multi leveled Creative Precinct located in the heart of Sydney's CBD next to Town Hall Station. The ground floor houses long term tenants, Level 1 is a dedicated gallery level of four gallery spaces run by a curatorial team, Level 2 has jewellery workshops and studio spaces and Level 3 houses more studio spaces and a rooftop that has beautiful views of the Sydney CBD.

To date, Gaffa's jewellery workshop level is the largest of its kind in Australia and was the basis of Gaffa's beginnings. Now, in 2016 in our tenth year of operating Gaffa has grown into a larger entity that prides itself on providing a space to both established and emerging artists to foster their practices and exhibit their works. We remain committed to nurturing cross-platform collaboration, collectivity and cohesion within the contemporary arts community and to contributing to a wider converstaion in the Sydney art scene.

Gaffa is truly an individual, with no other one arts organisation acting quite the way that we do.

gaffa.com.au