I went to an exhibition opening at Tinning Street Presents... on Thursday night. The entrance to…read morethe gallery is around the corner in the unnamed lane way and there were people spilling out into the lane way, smoking and talking. There is a lot of good graffiti down the lane way - it is a kind of art gallery in itself. The packed gallery was full of people drinking. The gallery is single white walled room with a concrete floor in a former factory space, typical of contemporary art galleries. The well-lite room was packed for the exhibition opening, not many people were looking at the art most were watching the lineup of strange musical performances. The exhibition was all right contemporary art by unknown artists; there was some fun art to look at. I made my way through the crowd to the bar; above it there was a big stretched canvas with the beer sponsor's logo on it. and a bar with gold coin donation for drinks. All these people weren't here just for the art or the music it is also a cheap place to drink. Exhibition opening nights are advertised on their website.

Er Mark H, fuckin' der...? How do you think young folk can afford to get pissed these days?…read moreActually, I've been scabbing free (or cheap) drinks at art openings, book launches, private parties and random weddings for years. The old art gallery drink run has been a part of social fabric of this city since exhibition openings started serving alcohol circa 1931. Nowadays, it's a rite of passage for youngsters to subscribe to as many galleries as possible to organise regular gallery hops on Thursday nights. Everyone knows that. The up shot is, through all the booze scrounging and bag stealing, you actually experience a heap of art at an early age and somehow the shit soaks in. Now, I'm a fuckin' artist! Can you believe that? A fucking artist. I'm as shocked as you are. And as an artist (or even as the beer swilling younger version of myself), I can attest that the good folk at Tinning Street give a fuck about art and just because the openings they have are good, and people come, doesn't mean they don't also sell a whole bunch of the shit to savvy art loving folk. Unbelievable right? An art gallery that actually gives a shit about art... Who would've thought.

After driving past the building that hosts Artbank a few times, I finally managed to break up my…read moreday and stop for a visit. What is Artbank? It's an art rental establishment which was established in 1980 by the Australian Government as an arts support program. We're sold already! Part of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Office for the Arts, Artbank promotes the diverse Australian culture and offers everybody the chance to enjoy Australian art by offering the collection for rent. The revenues from the rentals are then reinvesting back in to the collection. Sweet! Walk through the sunlight filled space and you'll find a large group of artworks by emerging artists from paintings and photography, to contemporary craft, sculpture and Indigenous art. (We hear the whole Artbank collection has over 10,000 contemporary artworks for rental) And even though we'd love to have more art at home, our walls don't have the space for it right now. Just in case, we found out the costs involved anyway and were pleased to discover that rental fees start from $110 per artwork, with the minimum contract total of $550 per year. And for businesses, fees are 100% tax deductible.

I like to visit this artist run space in Brunswick they have a variety of exhibitions from emerging…read moreartists. It is the closest art gallery to my house and a few years ago I had an exhibition there. It is a converted factory with a large ground floor space and a mezzanine balcony space. This balcony space gets very hot in the summer. There are a couple of flexible wall systems that allow for a slightly different layout of the gallery. The gallery is run by a committee of artists; some of who live in the house at the back the gallery (or the front, it depends on how you look at it) along with Winchester, the gallery's cat. Every three weeks there is a different exhibition, with an opening party. The gallery has a license to sell beer and wine at the exhibition openings and the other events that they hold: performances and film nights. Brunswick Arts has been going for several years but I wonder for how much longer as all the area all around it is being redeveloped. Little Breeze Street looks like it the parking lot of Alaysa Turkish Restaurant's delivery trucks but further down the narrow lane way there is a gallery. Little Breeze Street is not well lit at night and because of the bluestone-lined roadway it could be dangerous tripping over the uneven surface in the dark.

Amazing little gallery (well I suppose three rooms ain't that little) which seems to attract a wide…read morerange of art from installation to graffiti artists, established to emerging. They are in particular perfect for the emerging artist, as the committee really put their heart and soul into this place and really want to see people succeed.

From the owner: Off the Kerb is a Melbourne-based Artist Run Initiative, which fosters and exhibits Australian and…read moreInternational Artists, Curators, Designers and Sound Producers. Founded by Shini Pararajasingham in 2007, Off the Kerb is run by a small group of creative minds. Located in the heart of Collingwood, Off the Kerb offers Melbourne a unique gathering of experimental and commercial contemporary art and creative practices. The small team nurtures emerging artists, helping them further develop their practice. This is where we are unique, as we are a developmental space, we focus on propelling new and upcoming talent further into the public arena. The committee's continuous professional development is an additional core competency of Off the Kerb. We are an ARI that is constantly moving forward in Melbourne's art scene

Contemporary art & theatre in a wonderful setting…read more Went west to catch a highly rated play "Cain & Abel" which whilst disturbing was a revelation. But this isn't a review of the play, the theatre space was fantastic (an aisle on the right of the stage would be handy as you have to hop over other patrons legs), seating a lot but every seat with a view. Stage massive and could suit large productions. Gallery space downstairs fantastic with a number of rooms able to show works by different artists. Again a great use of an old building's space. Bar a little ordinary with one red & 2 whites to choose from & your standard fare, wine only average at $8 a glass. Wonderful space I'll be visiting again.

The substation is an iconic building of Melbourne's west. If you've ever tracked by rail through…read moreNewport, you've seen it. When I was growing up, it was derelict and home to many homeless and winos. And of course the fascination to kids all around. All the "cool kids" would break in to throw rocks at the window, or so my cool older sister would tell me. I was too busy at trombone practice. Newly renovated to resemble a New York loft, the substation is opened for business. Ideal for many functions, current uses are performances, art shows and markets. I do believe they can host wedding, though I'm not sure they have kitchen facilities. All in all, it's a modern building with multiple uses. The only (major) downfall is there is no aircon. Meaning during summer it can and does get extremely hot. And for that reason, it's 3, not 4 stars.

On Thursday I went to the opening event of the most recent exhibition at Counihan Gallery. The…read moregallery is located in a building next the Brunswick Town Hall and is run by the Moreland City Council. It was named after a notable, local artist, Noel Counihan and the gallery has a large number of his prints and paintings in its collection - although these are rarely on exhibition. It is a purpose built art gallery with movable walls that can divide the large gallery space into a few different configurations. Their exhibitions of contemporary art are generally of a high quality and professionally curated. The exhibitions often have a socially progressive theme to them; this time the art had a focus on sustainability issues. The gallery has a permanent staff and there is plenty of information about the arts in Moreland available at the gallery desk. There is a new exhibition every month with free wine and some nibbles, so it is an event worth attending even if there are a few boring speeches, this time from the Mayor of Moreland. I look at it as an opportunity to get some value from my rates, meet other locals interested in the arts even if I don't especially like the art on exhibition. Often there are other events associated with the exhibition: artist talks or workshops.

Next door to the Brunswick Town Hall building, this medium-sized art gallery showcases established…read moreand emerging artists with new exhibitions each month. I'm fond of the Counihan Gallery for giving me my first opportunity to see a Ron Mueck larger-than-life sculpture in all its looks-so-real-it-is-spooky glory. That's right - even before the NGV brought a whole gang of Mueck's eerily human sculptures to the masses, the Counihan brought it to Brunswick. The standard of the other works in the same exhibition was evidence of a talented and professional curator with his or her finger on the contemporary art pulse. Lucky are we in Brunswick to have such a high calibre of art dropped in our laps like this. I'm looking forward to their annual Womens Salon exhibition showcasing the creations of women artists, designers and craftworkers from the Moreland area, which opens on 17th November.

Don't tell anyone, this is one of Melbourne's best kept art secrets…read more Tucked away in the seedy end of Williamstown. Open only on weekends. With commensurate openings of similarly seedy or weird art, is this gallery that hosts the most avant grade of Melbourne's avant grade art scene. Either that or a bunch of social misanthropes. Busy making art and burning sausages on a BBQ, I can never tell at any of the openings I visit these days. Techno Park is an artist's run initiative and as such shows art by artists for artists. Check it out.... next weekend.

What a great gallery! They had some impressive pieces and the art gallery owner was just delightful…read moreto chat with. We were there for an opening, and the atmosphere was buzzing, the champagne was flowing and chatter about the art filled the room. Certainly worth a look if you're passing by. Enjoy.