Carlisle Street Arts Space

Carlisle Street Arts Space (CSAS) at St Kilda Town Hall presents a diverse exhibition program that encourages innovation in arts practice.

Current Exhibition

Image credit: Spoken, Heesco, Space2b and Ondru, 2019 (detail).

HerStory

A celebration of women’s stories and achievements.

Date: 26 July to 20 September 2024
Time: 8.30 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday (closed on public holidays)
Location: Carlisle Street Arts Space, St Kilda Town Hall - 99A Carlisle Street, St Kilda Vic 3182

City of Port Phillip has a rich ‘herstory’ of inspiring women who have made significant contributions to local politics, literature, the arts, sport, health, education and the wider community. 

Earlier this year, the HerStory map was created which displays places in Port Phillip where women are commemorated in street names, parks and gardens, buildings, monuments, and public artworks.  

The HerStory exhibition dives deeper into their stories through images, artworks and objects provided courtesy of their families, the City of Port Phillip Collection and local historical societies. 

We acknowledge that lots of women’s stories have yet to be recognised. If you have a story you would like to share, we want to hear it. You’re invited to come and ‘Put Her Name On It’, by completing our in-gallery activity sheet, coming along to our programmed storytelling event (full program coming soon) or by getting in touch with us via our HerStory webpage or emailing - diversity@portphillip.vic.gov.au .

Upcoming Exhibitions

Feminine Play

Dates: 4 - 18 October 2024
Location: Carlisle St. Art Space, 99A Carlisle St. St Kilda

Opening Hours: 8.30 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday, and with special opening hours on Saturday and Sunday, 9-5pm. 

Pink is punk, crafting is radical, and nurturing is not regressive. Feminine Play reimagine games and play and account for experiences and perspectives that have gone unnoticed. This interactive public exhibition draws on Stephanie Harkin’s research on feminine games and play cultures. 

Past Exhibitions

Fred Negro: Hooray!

24 June to 12 July 2024

Cartoonist, performer and frontman of I Spit On Your Gravy, Fred Negro, in residence as he undertakes a new drawing commission produced onsite.

Admired for his graphic skill, iconoclastic humour and social commentary; delve into his posters, handbills and pub strip cartoons on display and join us at the exhibition programs.

Image Credit: Photography by Peter Monagle, courtesy of Fred Negro.

Image credit: Jim Lee, St Kilda Film Festival Opening Event, Palais Theatre, 2014

Cinema Chronicles  

Commemorating 40 years of St Kilda Film Festival 

10 May to 16 June 2024

2024 marks the 40th Anniversary of St Kilda Film Festival. To celebrate this exhibition offered an exclusive look at the last 40 years of the film festival using pieces curated from our personal collection, showcasing how it went from a weekend add-on to an Academy Awards® qualifying event. 

The exhibition also gives insight into the last century of local film history, going all the way back to the very beginning of cinema in Port Phillip.  

Queer Connections 

Celebrating LGBTIQA+ history in Port Phillip 

2 February to 26 April 2024

The exhibition explores Port Phillip’s rich queer history through the lens of its most iconic venues and events.  

Doug Lucas (centre) and the cast of Pokeys in costume, Prince of Wales Hotel, St Kilda, c.1980s, courtesy of the Australian Queer Archives.

REAL FAKE: Himalaya. Photo and digital design Betty Sargeant.

Zetetic XIV

A selection of works by artists in residence at Shakespeare Grove Artist Studios

17 November 2023 to 25 January 2024

The exhibition featured the works of 14 artists who each explore a broad range of themes through many different genres and mediums.

For more information visit the Shakespeare Grove Studios and artists page.

10

Celebrating a decade of inspiring art that defies stereotypes

6 October to 3 November 2023

The 10 exhibition platforms the inspiring stories and art of Melbourne-based social housing residents and showcases the transformative power of inclusion.

Nick Cave, c1980s
© Peter Milne. Courtesy of the Artist and M.33

St Kilda’s Alright!

Art and artists in the 1980s

14 July to 22 September 2023

St Kilda’s Alright! presents a selection of works by artists who played a significant part in advancing St Kilda’s creative culture during the 1980s.

The exhibition was created to celebrate the endorsement of the St Kilda Live Music Precinct – Victoria’s first ever live music precinct. 

Pride at Play

3 to 24 June 2023

Pride at Play is a curated exhibition that celebrates thoughtful videogames and tabletop roleplaying games made by the LGBTIQA+ community, with the LGBTIQA+ community in mind.

It works to expand knowledge of game design and highlight the importance of LGBTIQA+ representation in the gaming industry. 

Small Town Emo - Fnife Games
Photo: Adam Thomas

Image credit: Morganna Magee, Anahita (detail), 2021 Digital print on paper, 91 x 60cm. Image courtesy of the artist.

Distant Shores

17 March to 12 May 2023

Distant Shores is a moving exhibition showcasing the work of Melbourne-based photographer Morganna Magee developed in collaboration with participating members of the local migrant and refugee communities. The exhibition combines portrait photography, family photos and written testimony to tell the story of cultural heritage through the lens of the migrant experience.

From the Ground Up

16 December 2022 to 28 February 2023 

In collaboration with Melbourne-based artist and graffiti writer – LING, 26 graffiti writers created artworks in public spaces throughout the City of Port Phillip. Each artist showcased their work at Carlisle Street Arts Space. Works include pencil work, paintings, sculpture, photography and video projection.

Watch the opening night video

LING, image courtesy P1xels

Kaspian Kan What's the Takeaway? 2021
Image courtesy of the designer.

Design Fringe 2022

Continuing the legacy of its first iteration as Fringe FurnitureDesign Fringe honours the legacy of the last 35 years of the program while continually re-imagining the future of design. This exhibition celebrated the changing face of design and the work of ambitious new design leaders. Design Fringe asked participating designers to ‘Design the Future: Don’t Waste Time’. Linked to the major global challenge of sustainability the exhibition encourages both designers and visitors to rethink our relationship with objects.

SAE Games Student Showcase

24 to 31 August 2022

From Peculiar Puzzles to Mind-bending Mysteries, play a sample of the latest and greatest games from the minds of the next generation of emerging talent.

All games in the exhibit were designed by SAE Melbourne's Bachelor of Games Design student teams and offer you a unique opportunity to see and interact with the early projects of future game development all-stars.

Janenne Eaton Dream Catcher 2019
Enamel and decals on canvas

Port Phillip City Collection: Recent Acquisitions 2019 to 2020

7 July to 19 August 2022

The City of Port Phillip will present recent acquisitions acquired for the City’s Visual Art Collection. The exhibition includes works on paper, paintings, photographs and video works.

Port Phillip City Collection: Art Walks

13 April to 4 July 2022 

Discover our talented local artists in this Port Phillip City Collection exhibition which features a selection of the works that inspired the Summer program of self-guided Art Walks. These explored the neighbourhoods of Elwood, South Melbourne, Port Melbourne and along the foreshore from Station Pier to Point Ormond.

 

Bruno Benini Unknown Title (Models at Station Pier: Vida Elekna, Lynn Richmond, Terry Taylor and Gay Vardi) 1962

About the gallery

Carlisle Street Arts Space Vista exhibition

Carlisle Street Arts Space (CSAS) is a versatile exhibition space with the capacity to present a range of visual arts practice. Located just inside the main entrance of the St Kilda Town Hall, the Carlisle Street Arts Space (CSAS) presents a diverse exhibition program that enhances the cultural vitality of the community and encourages innovation in arts practice.