Espionage Gallery

Tucked away down a lane way off Rundle Mall, Espionage Gallery has recently been delving into the art of pop culture with a geeky slant and it’s awesome.
As you make your way up the narrow staircase (or take the compact service elevator) you can’t help but feel you’re already starting a small adventure and discovering something special.
The Adelaide a Fringe exhibition, Around the World in 80 Toys, was the first time I’d visited the gallery and speaking to manager, Josh, I realised I’d been missing out! Not only do they showcase some fantastic art, they also run workshops where you can creat your own masterpiece.
What I’d love to see is more local businesses working together in this space, maybe some Shin Tokyo merch, comics from Pulp Fiction or books from Dymocks being made available could help to support the community that loves this stuff and also see a few dollars being shared to support the respective owners. The growing interest in events like AVCON and Comicon shows there’s thriving demand for it and Adelaide’s a great city that could foster that collaboration… But now I’m rambling.
Josh is great to talk to and clearly loves sharing what he does and with exhibitions with Lego and Star Wars themes coming up, Espionage is definitely on my list of places to come back to regularly.

An eclectic mix of street art by emerging and professional artists showcases some of the whackiest exhibitions I’ve seen here. From Breaking Bad-​ass collections (literally if you wanted a drawing of Walter White you could have bought one for $ 100) to their upcoming exhibition of «Around the World in 80 toys» these guys always manage to make a spectacle of themselves in a good way. And because a lot of the artists exhibiting are up-​and-​coming you are bound to find a reasonably priced piece anywhere between $ 50-​$ 500 to hang on your wall.
This small gallery packs a crowd on Opening Nights (open and free to the public) and has a following of literally the coolest people in Adelaide — think cheek piercings, fedora hats and cardigans. It gets hot in summer and when full can be a little claustrophobic but it doesn’t take long to see an exhibition. Therefore this is a great place to begin a night out or a date before hitting the town.
Joshua Smith has done a stellar job running such a professional and well-​curated space on the smell of an oily rag and a recently funded Pozible campaign. Go and support this rad little venue Adelaide!

Here you can debunk the myths of art galleries being pretentious, insular and for a select few. Espionage Gallery, specifically through owner Joshua Smith, has doors and arms wide open and is welcoming and friendly.
Josh is an internationally known and award winning artist with a specialisation in stencil art. He runs stencil workshops (and I can attest to the fact he has the patience of a saint). He also works with teenagers through various initiatives, including helping graffiti ‘artists’ become more socially accepted artists. He nurtures and helps young people to understand there is a way they can show their art and hopefully in time, to make money out of being an artist.
Exhibitions at Espionage are diverse. Josh is constantly looking for new talent and supports a variety of emerging artists. He also showcases established local artists and international artists in both solo and group exhibitions.
His group shows are a treat for patrons, with the variety on offer, but also for artists, as an emerging artist can find him or herself exhibiting alongside very well known artists, which is a great buzz. Also, the group shows are very popular and opening nights are always fun. A highlight last year was the Alice in Wonderland themed group exhibition, with an opening night including a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party and prizes for best dressed.
After a successful Pozible campaign late 2013, Espionage is set to (install proper air-​conditioning!) and continue to grow and develop, whilst offering artists and art lovers alike, a fabulous place to hang out, be inspired and to enjoy art.

Me and my fellow writers like to jokingly complain about our future prospects in the industry. One who plans to write for a living is one who make poor career moves. But we know that and we acknowledge that and we let our delusions of greatness mask the unpleasantness.
There are two (that I can remember) types of artists who get it worse than us, though. No, not movie-​makers. They’ve got a much bigger chance at success. I’m talking of course of dancers and artists.
Because of this, I like to support my fellow artistic expressors whenever I get the opportunity. Unfortunately, I don’t get to see dancers quite as often as I do art displays. But I love going to galleries.
The review below (or above, depending upon where this review ends up) said this is ‘a gallery for artists by artists’. I don’t want that to dissuade the layman. Theoretically, I CAN call myself an artist, but I don’t. I call myself a writer. And as a person with very little talent in the visual arts, I can say, with a great burst of confidence and honesty, that this gallery rocks my jocks.
I used to have a rule for myself: don’t come here too often. I did this so whenever I DID turn up, they’d have new art up. But I’ve found I like checking in on old friends before they disappear. So now I go as often as I like, and bring my friends along with me. It’s great fun to play pedant, and stand there describing the paintings as if you’re reading from the back of a wine bottle. Someday, though, I’ll take a class on art appreciation. That way I’ll get to pretend I know what I’m talking about with even greater pretentiousness!

Espionage gallery is a gallery for artists by artists. Not only is it a massive white exhibition space, but it is also the studio for artists Gary Seamen and award winning street artist Joshua Smith. Joshua’s work can be seen in Topham Mall as well as within the gallery from time to time.
The gallery leases out exhibition space on a per-​month basis, so there is always something fresh and new in the gallery to check out. With it being just off Rundle Mall in Lindes Lane, checking out any of the awesome talent Espionage covets monthly is as easy as climbing up some stairs.
Opening nights for exhibitions usually attract major turnouts and the gallery does a fine job at providing wines and canapes whilst you canvas the canvases. The last opening I was at here had points where you could barely move there was so many people, but this ebbed as people completed viewing the works.
In addition to its many exhibitions, Espionage also runs a couple other events. Near Christmas they ran a Christmas art and craft market for those seeking unique yuletide gifts, and throughout the year Josh also imparts his knowledge to would be Banksys in the form of art classes.