Sabbia Gallery

Sabbia Gallery in Redfern

Sabbia Gallery is one of Australia's best-known contemporary art spaces, located in Redfern on Gadigal Land. Anna Grigson founded it back in 2005, and for nearly twenty years now it's been supporting Australian artists who work in ceramics, glass, and fibre art. In 2025, the gallery hits its two-decade mark. The Redfern spot puts Sabbia right in the middle of Sydney's creative scene, making it pretty easy for collectors, artists, and serious art people to get there.

What makes Sabbia stand out is the way it works with both individual contemporary artists and art collectives from remote Indigenous communities across the country. Grigson and her team look at the technical side of things, sure, but they're equally interested in the ideas behind the work. They're also conscious of working on Gadigal Land, and they acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and the cultural connections to Country that matter to this place.

Ceramics, Glass & Fibre: Australia's Contemporary Craft

Sabbia Gallery focuses on ceramics, glass, and fibre art, working with some of the most inventive and technically skilled contemporary craft makers in Australia. The artists it shows work across a broad range of styles, from abstract formal pieces to figurative narrative work, and from independent studio practice to collaborative art centre traditions run by Indigenous communities. Ceramics, glass, and fibre were once treated as decorative crafts, but they've become serious vehicles for exploring conceptual and aesthetic ideas in contemporary practice. Sabbia treats these works as central to contemporary art, not sidelined, and shows the depth, quality, and continuing vitality of these fields in Australian visual culture.

The artists represented at Sabbia Gallery have international credentials and work that speaks to audiences around the world. They engage seriously with their chosen materials, colour, form, and meaning, whether they're working with kiln-formed glass, hand-built ceramic vessels, or woven and textile-based fibre. Recent and upcoming exhibitions like Susie Choi's 'Right side wrong side', Ben Edols and Kathy Elliott's 'The Spaces Between', and the major 'Rrawa' presentation from Maningrida Arts reflect what the gallery values: work that provokes, moves, and enriches people who encounter it. Artists on the roster including Jenni Kemarre Martiniello OAM, Mel Douglas, and LeSHAYE SWAN point to the range of artistic thinking the gallery supports.

What Sabbia Shows and How It Works

Sabbia puts out a solid program each year with solo shows, group exhibitions, and a couple of recurring series that keep things interesting. The Masters series runs annually, while the Indigenous Together series comes around every second year. Both give artists at all levels a proper chance to show their work. The gallery spaces out its shows so there's room for each artist to explore their ideas properly and actually connect with people who come through. You'll find work here that's been thought through carefully, with staff who know their stuff when it comes to collecting, conservation, and how pieces should be presented.

Right now through to June 2026, there's work from Susie Choi, a collaboration between Ben Edols and Kathy Elliott, then the Indigenous-led 'Rrawa' presentation from Maningrida Arts and Jenni Kemarre Martiniello OAM's 'Synesthesia' later that month. As the year goes on you'll see pieces by Mel Douglas and LeSHAYE SWAN. Sabbia Gallery, Redfern NSW, keeps things moving with what its artists are doing, while keeping a consistent eye on the quality and professionalism of everything that hangs on the walls.

Collector Services and Professional Expertise

Sabbia Gallery, Redfern NSW, offers collectors a lot more than just exhibitions. The team handles consultancy, collection management, and valuations for people buying and looking after contemporary ceramics, glass, and fibre art. Director Anna Grigson is a registered Commonwealth of Australia Valuer with deep knowledge of First Nations paintings, ceramics, sculpture, textiles, and artefacts. Her valuations work for insurance purposes, checking what something's worth on the market, or sorting out estates. It's real practical help for serious collectors and institutions trying to build up their holdings.

The gallery's relationship with collectors doesn't end at the till. They place work in major private collections and public institutions around the world, offering quotes on individual pieces, assessing entire collections, and consulting on industry matters. What sets them apart is the detail: they check provenance, sort the documentation, and verify authenticity. That kind of rigour and integrity matters in an art market that can feel pretty secretive and hard to crack into. For collectors, having that kind of professional backing makes a real difference.

Visit Sabbia Gallery in Redfern

Sabbia Gallery is located in Redfern, one of Sydney's most culturally rich suburbs. It's a straight-forward space for both serious collectors and people who just want to see good art. If you're into contemporary ceramics, artistic glass, fibre works, or work by Indigenous artists, they'll have something on. You can check what's on before you visit, or just keep an eye on things if you're following along from home.

The best way to stay updated is to join their mailing list for exhibition announcements. That way you'll catch the major shows as they happen. If you're after valuations, want to chat about your collection, or you're an artist looking to show your work, the team is open to getting in touch. Sabbia Gallery brings together collectors, artists, and people who care about contemporary Australian work in ceramics, glass, and fibre art.