Our History
Since 1998, Kudos Gallery has been host to some of Sydney's most exciting artists, curators and writers and continues to be a fertile ground for provocative concepts, innovative technologies and cutting edge art forms and styles.
Kudos Gallery has been pivotal in helping to develop students' artistic and professional skills. Often a spring-board for students as they develop their practice within their community, and take with them the necessary skills and portfolio they need to further their emerging career.
Over the years Kudos has provided dynamic opportunities for students to volunteer, intern or join the committee whether you're studying Art Theory, Curation, Design, Fine Art, or more! Kudos Gallery developed the White Cube program as a short-term volunteer program in which students get hands-on skills involving install, opening night, marketing, gallery minding, opening, closing, artist liaising and more.
In 2001 Kudos Gallery held the first Emerging Artist + Designer Award and it has been continuing since. With winning artists including; Alana Cotton, Eva Nolan, Athena Thebus, Sabella D’Souza, Claudia Nicholson.
Since 2014, Kudos Emerging Artist and Designer Awards have had an independent prize guest judged by a prominent woman in the arts. This was established by Tess Allas and Miranda Samuels. Recipients have included; Claudia Nicholson, Marcia Swaby, Sabella D’Souza, Naomi Segal, and Isobelle Lowe.
In 2015, Kudos went through a significant upgrade of the gallery. All walls are now floating and are made of up one layer of plywood with a layer of plasterboard, these are used to play around with extra wall space, to create rooms, or seperate exhibitions.
In 2016, the gallery introduced the Early Career Curator Award (ECCA), creating an opportunity for emerging curators to develop a curatorial project over the year, with an exhibition outcome staged at the gallery later in the year. Additionally, Kudos introduced the Emerging Critics Award (ECA), where a critic is paired with a coming exhibition and is tasked with writing a critical essay in response to the show and developing a public program.
In 2017 the gallery introduced a performance night, Kudos Live, and presented performance practices on and off-site, both student and non-student, in an end of session party environment. Kudos Gallery has hosted a range of public programs and regularly hosts install and AV workshops for students and public.
