8 Wall Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Owners upon whose unceded lands we live and work. We honour and celebrate the ongoing cultural and spiritual connections to these lands, skies and waterways in which stories, ancestors, and dreamings of First Nations peoples are woven, and pay our utmost respect to Elders past, present, and emerging. This always was and always will be Aboriginal land.
Welcome to a new project-based contemporary art initiative, founded by Indigenous women, dedicated to learning about and supporting a new wave of contemporary art. The evolving space offers a diverse curatorial program focused on art from Oceania, aka the Blue Continent. 8 Wall Gallery is located on Gadigal land in the heart of the Paddington Arts Precinct, alongside the highly respected Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, just above Annette Larkin Fine Art. It opened at 8 am on 8/8/25 with a ceremonial karanga by Sophie Doyle (Ngāti Kahu & Te Rarawa).
Founder/Director Sam Houben is a first-generation Australian with Dutch and Māori (Ngāti Kahu & Te Rarawa) diaspora, interested in concepts of belonging and decolonisation. She holds a Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Sciences (History and Theory), a Master's in Digital Media, and started a Master's in Art Curatorship at the University of Sydney. Sam served as co-chair at Schmick Contemporary in 2025 and also runs Samantha Houben Arts Advisory, which takes her between Gadigal/Sydney, Aotearoa/New Zealand, and across the US.
8 Wall Gallery was created out of a strong desire to learn more about Indigenous knowledge systems and values, and to connect communities. After a decade of working in commercial galleries, volunteering, serving on boards, and raising her twin girls, Sam hopes this initiative will offer a new direction and a welcoming way to engage with art in our world today.
Gallery Manager Lora Adzic holds an Honours in Fine Arts (First Class) from RMIT, and a double degree of Bachelor of Design / Bachelor of Media from UNSW. Lora has worked professionally across multiple commercial galleries and community arts organisations within Melbourne/Naarm and Sydney/Gadigal, and in 2025 co-managed a First Nations art centre in regional Australia. She has actively been involved in the arts since 2016 having volunteered at artist-run-initiatives including Bus Projects, Kudos Gallery, and dither_, as well as for the 2018 Biennale of Sydney, the 2026 Antenna Documentary Film Festival, and for the North Melbourne Language and Learning Centre.
WHY 8 WALL GALLERY?
[*not affiliated]