Sydney Modern a stunning ‘must visit’ on the Domain

Constructed in steel with generous floor-to-ceiling glazing, and with a rippled slumped glass canopy that lightly hovers above the point of arrival, there is a sense of transparency across the various levels. It responds to the terrain – a fall of 20 metres – as well as views over the city and Sydney Harbour.

“The landscape was integral to the design,” says Luke Johnson, principal of Architectus, who worked closely with SANAA and landscape architects McGregor Coxall, Kathryn Gustafson, and Wiradjuri and Kamilarol artist, Jonathan Jones, to complete the project. “It was treated like an art garden”.

The original Victorian building, circa 1872, turned its back on the views and a brutalist-style extension in the late 1970s did not fully address the space required for large exhibitions, including art performance and film.

The Sydney Modern features a series of protruding and cantilevered structures, referred to by the architects as “a campus of art”. It is clearly distinct, standing proud with its Victorian-era neighbour, which started life as an art school. It features a strong connection to place – indoors and out.

From the moment one enters, there is a subtle play of levels, including a 1-in-40 gradient in the main foyer area to display Indigenous art, moving through to contemporary art.

Spread over four levels, with eight galleries, a café and bridges to traverse, some gallery spaces can be reconfigured to provide either more intimate or more expansive spaces.

Johnson describes the design as not dissimilar to a stack of cards on a hillside, but thoughtfully orientated to frame the views and the Royal Botanic Garden.

“The idea wasn’t that it felt like a traditional gallery, but one that was immersed in the landscape,” says Johnson, pointing out the sculptural SANAA-designed drop chairs in the forecourt.

One of the most intriguing gallery spaces is on the lowest level, originally designed for fuel tanks servicing World War II equipment. Rather than remove these relics, the bunker, with its concrete columns and ceiling, is now a highlight of any visit.

Complete with circular steel staircase that pierces the lower gallery, it is an extraordinary surrealist environment to enjoy larger works, such as sculpture, in a 2000 square-metre gallery.

• Sydney Modern, located on Art Gallery Road, Sydney, is open daily from 10am to 5pm, and until 10pm on Wednesdays. Admission is free, as are most of its exhibitions and events.

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