Field Trip

A contemporary art gallery in Paddington

The space actually runs two separate galleries side by side, so you'll typically find work across painting, ceramics, mixed media, photography and textiles from a mix of established and emerging artists. Having two spaces means they can run different exhibitions at the same time, which works out pretty well for visitors who get more to look at and for artists who get more chances to show their work.

Paddington's one of those inner Brisbane suburbs that's packed with artist studios, cafés, and other cultural spots. That's why Field Trip fits naturally into the area. The two-gallery setup gives them flexibility too. They can pair shows together thematically or give a single artist enough room to really spread out and do something substantial.

What Field Trip actually exhibits

Field Trip's program covers plenty of ground. John Bell's 'Two Terrains' examined Australian landscapes by looking at place itself rather than just copying what's there, drawing from Tasmania and Springbrook in the Gold Coast hinterland. Lloyd Crackett's 'Oh That's Nice, Obliterating Context' mixed photographs and found images as collage work. Helen Berkeley-Kelly's 'Sourced' brought together natural fibres and discarded objects in woven pieces that shift how you think about materials people chuck out. The gallery also runs group shows like 'SPECTIVE', which had four Brisbane artists working with nature and perspective across ceramics, photography and mixed media all at once.

Beyond the regular exhibitions, Field Trip hosts art markets, workshops and charity shows. The Mother's Day Art Market brought in over 30 local artists and kept work under one hundred dollars, which actually gets original art into reach for people. A show by Erina Natsumi raised funds for the International Child Art Foundation. That sort of thing matters because it shows the gallery sees art as something that works beyond the walls. Field Trip, Paddington, QLD 4064.

How often things change and what happens when exhibitions open

Field Trip keeps a pretty packed schedule. The 2026 program lines up a solid run of solo shows from both established and up-and-coming artists, group exhibitions that dig into different ideas, and special market events focused on local work. Each show gets an opening, some casual affairs with a glass of wine and chat, others stretching into longer nights with drinks and live music. These openings genuinely matter because they turn the gallery launch into something closer to an actual conversation between artists, collectors and people who care about art.

Throughout the year the gallery runs art markets, charity shows and live ceramic workshops alongside its main exhibitions. Opening hours shift depending on what's on, but generally it's 10am to 5pm weekdays and Saturdays, dropping to 10am to 4pm Sundays (sometimes noon to 4pm on particular weekends). Most shows stay open for three to five days, which means people usually get another chance to visit. Some nights run later too, which actually works well for Brisbane's working and creative crowd.

What makes Field Trip different

Field Trip works with artists across all career levels. You might see Michelle Spencer's retrospective of paintings and ceramics on one side, then Anthony Jigalin's abstract work examining contemporary political anxiety on the other. The two-space setup lets them run different shows at the same time, which means visitors get more out of a visit. The gallery shows work by First Nations artists like Lloyd Crackett (Magandjin) and international artists such as the Japan-based nemurenaiasa. It's a genuinely mixed program, not something engineered to look that way.

What really sets Field Trip apart is the community around it. Artists tend bar at openings. Studio sales happen and people care about them. The Mother's Day Art Market didn't just sell work, it positioned the gallery as the real centre of local creative practice. You see it in the shows too: exhibitions about landscape and dreamlike work, how memory shapes art-making, what happens when you find something and turn it into something new. That curatorial thinking, the fact that the people running it are genuinely approachable, and the regular programming all add up. If you're paying attention to Brisbane's contemporary art scene, Field Trip is somewhere you have to reckon with.

How to visit

Field Trip is at 1 Latrobe Terrace, Paddington, QLD 4064. Getting there by car or public transport is straightforward. Opening hours depend on the exhibition, but you're typically looking at 10am to 5pm weekdays and Saturdays, or 10am to 4pm Sundays (sometimes noon to 4pm on certain weekends). Most shows run three to five days. A lot of exhibitions have opening events where you can actually meet the artists.

You don't need a collector's eye or formal art background to get something out of a visit. The gallery stocks work at reasonable prices and shows a mix of solo presentations alongside collaborative group shows. Field Trip functions as a proper cultural hub in Paddington and beyond because it genuinely backs artists working in contemporary art and keeps the program ticking over with regular exhibitions, talks and events.