The Lock-Up

The Lock-Up is an independent, multidisciplinary contemporary arts space in inner-city Newcastle housed in a heritage-listed building that formerly served as the city police station and lock-up from 1861 until 1982. It features a purpose-built gallery space, heritage cells, an event and installation area in the former exercise yard, plus on-site accommodation for artists in residence as part of its nationally renowned residency program. Since re-launching as a dedicated arts venue in 2014, The Lock-Up has delivered curated public programming including exhibitions, site-specific installations, performances, workshops and creative talks, with the aim of challenging audiences and fostering experimental, cross-platform and diverse artistic practice.

The Lock-Up

90 Hunter St, Newcastle NSW 2300

+61 2 4925 2265

Wed–Fri 10:00–16:00; Sat 10:00–16:00; Sun 10:00–14:00

Current Exhibitions

Izabela Pluta / Cavitation

Izabela Pluta
September-25-2026 – January-31-2027
A monumental solo project by internationally recognised, Newcastle-based contemporary artist Izabela Pluta as part of a major international co-commission with TRAFO Center for Contemporary Art, Poland, and presented… Read more

Coming Soon

No exhibitions found.

Previous Exhibitions

Wendy Sharpe / Into the Dark

Wendy Sharpe
July-18-2026 – September-13-2026
'Into the Dark' is a new, exciting culmination point of Sharpe’s long career and a timely presentation that responds to war, the climate crisis, and the decline of… Read more
COLLECT 2026 — The Lock-Up

COLLECT: Focus 2026

May-16-2026 – July-5-2026
Curated by Early Career Curator Elloise Ansell, the exhibition positions emerging bodies of work within a professional collecting context, reframing experimentation as both rigorous and collectable. Presented as… Read more

COLLECT 2026

May-16-2026 – July-5-2026
COLLECT is The Lock-Up’s annual fundraising exhibition, showcasing over a hundred emerging, mid-career and established artists from Newcastle and the Hunter, as well as The Lock-Up’s broader artistic… Read more

A Soft Space to Stand

December-13-2025 – May-3-2026
Softness is the methodology in this group exhibition of interdisciplinary practices, installation, moving image, video, film, and animation. Against harsh realities of personal and environmental disasters, or the… Read more
Karla Dickens

Locked On

Karla Dickens
August-23-2025 – November-16-2025
Wiradjuri artist Karla Dickens presents a powerful exhibition that honours the history of non‑violent protest while confronting the entanglements of climate crisis, colonial legacies and patriarchy. Working with… Read more