No Vacancy Gallery

No Vacancy grew. No longer simply a space within the shops of QV in Melbourne, the cats here got themselves a piece of the action in Federation Square.
Squeezed in between a glass gallery and a restaurant, you can almost miss it, save for the light spewing out of it and the countless bodies moving and talking at an opening of sorts. The smaller space is suited to smaller shows, which makes perfect sense for the local artists they support. The art here could be considered a more ‘street art’ variety — stencils and spray work, or these artist branching into painting and trying something new. Hit and miss, but they look nice altogether and if you can’t afford a painting there’s usually a print version of it available up the back.
Openings are usually Thursday or Friday nights.

Um, No Vacancy has moved. That why Mark H (even though he’s talkin’ like he’s their buddies and shit) can’t find it. It’s now at the Fed Square Atrium on Flinders Street and it’s still the same design focused ‘gallery’ that’s big on ‘street’ art and skateboard ‘culture’.
This place seems to miss the point a bit, or maybe it’s that they’re so shrewd that I don’t understand them. Either way, they show these exhibitions that I feel (art is a personal thing after all) are a bit overblown by hype and lacking in merit. They play to the ‘Monsters Children’ audience — it’s all ‘famous’ skateboarders and pop-​culture cash-​ins.
A recent Mexican exhibition they had was celebrating this Santa Muerte thing that all the drug gangs are into right now… Case and point.

Ironically No Vacancy was vacant the last time I passed by at the QV Centre they must be preparing for their next exhibition; there is a different exhibition every fortnight. And it is in a very convenient location in the city and so it is easy to drop in and see what is on.
I’ve been to many exhibitions at No Vacancy and I often drop in to chat with Tim Dawson and Andrew Chew because they are friendly fellows. They also manage studio spaces and the gallery has a life drawing class run by Louise Klerks. And they have a smaller gallery space at Federation Square that is called No Vacancy Project Space.
Their exhibitions vary from group exhibitions by RMIT students to an exhibition by Ghostpatrol, a notable Melbourne street artist. They also have a stock collection of original work and prints from local artists and illustrators.
It is not the ideal gallery space because of its low ceiling, odd shape and glass front along one side. But the art that they show is more important than the space and the large gallery floor space easily accommodates the hundreds of mostly young people who come to the exhibition openings.