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 concept art gallery, dedicated to learning about and supporting the next wave of contemporary art. Founded & run by Indigenous women from Oceania, the space offers a platform for the next generation of artists from the Pacific to expland their practice, with connections from Australia, Aotearoa and across to the Americas.
It 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. 8 Wall Gallery 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 began a Master's in Art Curatorship at the University of Sydney in 2020. 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.
WHY 8 WALL GALLERY?
[*not affiliated]