Since its founding, Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert has championed work at the intersection of art, design, and craft.
We spoke with Director Sally Dan-Cuthbert about the gallery’s philosophy and the ideas behind the current exhibition, ‘Fine Design and Objets d’Art’. The exhibition brings together artists and designers working across function, form and fine art, and considers how collecting becomes an expansive, cross-disciplinary practice.
Can you tell us about the founding of Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert, what motivated you to establish the gallery?
Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert was established in 2019, the first of its kind in Australia to deliver an intergenerational programme of rigorous contemporary art, objets d’art and collectible design by local and international artists and designers.
Our motivation was to deliver a programme that celebrates diverse approaches to media across art and design, with carefully orchestrated intersections of these parallel disciplines. The gallery presents solo exhibitions, alongside curated group exhibitions, and participates in prestigious fairs and festivals internationally.
Importantly, represented artists and designers regularly exhibit in surveys, biennales, and significant thematic exhibitions in notable institutions globally. Their work is collected into important public and private collections around the world.
How would you describe the gallery’s philosophy, and how has it evolved since its opening in 2019?
The gallery’s philosophy is to offer collectors and enthusiasts alike an opportunity to engage with contemporary work that honours both innovation and timeless quality. Incorporating all the visual arts: painting, photography, film, textiles, ceramics and sculpture together with refined functional pieces. We present work that blurs the traditional boundaries between disciplines.
The philosophy remains the same just the roster of represented artist and opportunities has grown significantly.
Your upcoming exhibition brings together design and objects. How does ‘Fine Design and Objets d’art’ reflect the gallery’s mission to bridge contemporary art and collectible design?
Fine Design and Objets d’Art is a carefully curated exhibition celebrating the intersection of artistic excellence and functional beauty. Bringing together gallery artists from around the world, this exhibition showcases practitioners working at the pinnacle of their respective fields, each pushing the boundaries of art, objects, and design with distinctive vision and mastery.
What conversations or reflections do you hope people take from ‘Fine Design and Object d’art’?
The exhibition invites a return to the thoughtful, holistic approach to living with art, the ethos of the gallery. It revives the spirit of a golden age when artists of all disciplines coalesced, and homes were layered with carefully chosen pieces, where collections reflected the full spectrum of creative expression beyond paintings alone. These artists share a commitment to exceptional craft and conceptual rigour, creating pieces that are as contemplative as they are exquisitely made.
