Location dynamics of commercial art galleries in Sydney

ABSTRACT Art clusters in cities are welcomed by planners, residents and business. In respect to an urban economy, art clusters are viewed as beneficial because of their contribution to neighbourhood ambience in ways likely to attract young professionals who possess, it is said, higher propensity for innovation and creativity. Clusters of art activity are also seen as place-makers that enhance liveability, an important asset in the contemporary spatial economy. Yet there is little empirical work which examines the forces that drive the location of these places of art and their connection to the urban economy. This paper takes art galleries in Sydney, Australia, as a case study. Using data from a comprehensive survey, interviews and direct observation, the study finds a peculiar story of art clustering. Sydney’s galleries are found to be concentrated in exclusive locations. The study finds powerful agglomeration forces, including opportunities for stable property tenure, adjacency to the city’s cultural institutions, input of government funding and the presence of wealthy buyers among local residents. Certainly, the agglomerations identified meet criteria for recognition as cultural districts, yet in ways different to the images of edgy neighbourhoods presented in the literature as the substance of art in a post-industrial city.