This creative hub is nurturing Adelaide's next generation of artists

Since training as a printmaker in the early 2000s, Andrea Przygonski has spent two decades working at the intersection of print, installation, light, sound, textiles and sculpture.

It means she knows just how much of a challenge it can be for artists to follow their passion.

And as in so many fields, taking the first step is the most difficult part.

“When emerging artists step away from their studies, it can be really daunting because they no longer have that collegiate environment around them,” explains Andrea.

At the same time, they're often trying to create a body of high-quality work and find an appropriate space to exhibit.

“Most of the galleries in Adelaide are either really huge or they're completely unapproachable.

And because they usually exhibit fairly seasoned artists, emerging artists can find themselves in this no man's land.”

So when Andrea and the rest of the team behind Laneway Studios launched the multidisciplinary artistic hub at 135 Payneham Road in mid-2022, they had a radical idea for one of the shopfronts.

“The building used to house the South Australian Wood Carving Academy and it was pretty run down and full of sawdust when we came in,” she recalls.

“We had to spend six months getting the building ready, and there was this little window casement facing Payneham Road that we were initially going to rip out.”

Instead, she convinced the team to turn it into a showcase of emerging artists and The Pod Gallery is now one of only two “micro galleries” in Adelaide.

A tiny footprint (the space is only 1.35 m by 1.06 m) means that it's far less daunting for emerging artists than a traditional gallery.

“Some artists have brought in 50 pieces, and others have had one piece that fills it up,” says Andrea, who serves as both Co-ordinator and Curator for the pint-sized venue.

“We've had artists paint the wall bright colours or hang things from the ceiling.

The idea is for them to really consider the space and how that might form part of their exhibition because we want it to be more than just a white wall gallery.”

And because each install is so quick, The Pod can host a new exhibition every month.

Most shows feature a single artist, though the entire Laneway community comes together for a group exhibition every August during the SALA Festival.

The collective also includes a printmaking studio with 20 members and two shop fronts where 10 artists have individual studios.

“Most of the members have studied together or run into each other over the years, so we're all connected and it's a very generous and supportive community,” Andrea says.

And the beauty of having artists working in a range of media, from painting and printmaking to weaving and ceramics, is that there's a lot of knowledge sharing within the community.

Affordable workshops that are accessible to the public also help artists of all experience levels improve their skills.

It's all part of the collective's mission to support a robust creative scene in Adelaide's inner east.

“It's really important to us that artists feel comfortable and supported as they are creating their own community,” says Andrea.

“I've done the hard yards as an arts graduate, and I want to be able to share some of my experiences to make it less daunting for other artists as they emerge.”

Visit today!

135 Payneham Road, St Peters
W: Laneway Studios
I: /the_pod_gallery