The Black Canoe's story: one year of art, coffee and community in Waterloo
By The Black Canoe · · 4 min read
Coffee brewed slow. Art held close. That line sums up The Black Canoe better than anything else we could write. We are a gallery and a café in one room at Shop 1, 1-3 Botany Rd, Waterloo, in Sydney, and in our first year we have hung exhibition after exhibition, poured a lot of coffee, and welcomed artists, collectors, neighbours and visitors through the door. This is our story so far.
Who we are
The Black Canoe is an Aboriginal-owned and operated gallery and café founded by Yorta Yorta and Bundjalung Winyarr Jodie Matthews.
We describe ourselves as a vibrant cultural and creative space dedicated to showcasing emerging and established artists from across Australia. The gallery and the café are not two separate businesses sharing an address. They are one place, designed so that you can come in for a coffee and find yourself standing in front of a painting, or come in for an exhibition and stay for lunch.
What the gallery is for
The heart of The Black Canoe is the gallery, and its purpose is set out in four lines that guide everything we do:
- Committed to creating opportunities for artists at all stages of their careers.
- We provide a platform for diverse creative voices through exhibitions, workshops, cultural events, and community collaborations.
- The gallery celebrates artistic excellence, fosters meaningful cultural exchange, and connects artists with collectors and audiences in an inclusive and welcoming environment.
- With a strong focus on supporting First Nations artists alongside contemporary creatives, The Black Canoe Gallery Cafe is building a national platform that champions storytelling, innovation, and the rich diversity of Australia's creative landscape.
In practice, that means original work, rotating often. It means major paintings by established artists such as Gloria Petyarre (c1942–2021), Polly Ngale Nelson (c1940–2022) and George Hairbrush Tjungurrayi (c1947–) sharing the space with exhibitions by artists early in their careers. And it means every original work in our shop can be bought directly online, one of a kind, so that the connection between artist and collector is as short as possible.
The café: small batch, slow mornings
The café is what makes The Black Canoe somewhere you can stay a while. Our approach is small batch and unhurried: coffee brewed slow, made for slow mornings. The menu is short and honest:
- Coffee: Espresso, Long Black, Macchiato, Cappuccino, Flat White, Latte and Mocha, all $5.00; Iced Latte and Iced Mocha, $7.00.
- Tea and other drinks: English Breakfast and Chai Tea, $5.00; Matcha and Iced Matcha, $6.00.
- Food: Toasties $12.00, Pies $8.00, Burek $8.00, Sausage Rolls $8.00.
Gluten free options are available; ask our team about today's flavours. We are open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am – 4pm, and closed Mondays.
A year of exhibitions
Our program keeps moving. Since our first show in August 2025, the walls have changed again and again. Here is the full run so far, in order:
- 31.08.25 · Guided Through Country Embedded by Story, Lesley Carberry
- 13.09.25 · New Birthday, Sam Bowman
- 11.10.25 · Sugar High, Kyle Wilkinsun
- 08.11.25 · Moorditj, Robyn Jean
- 11.12.25 · Gathabal, Zac Carter
- 18.01.26 · Love Eternal, Lorraine and Joe Byrnes
- 14.02.26 · Dungala, Murray Family
- 07.03.26 · Dreaming, Ron Creevey
- 04.04.26 · Damn Girl, Jesse Walsh
- 09.05.26 · Land Sea & Sky, Faith McLeod
- 30.05.26 · Fuá, Jessika Victória
- 07.06.26 · Matcha Social Club
- 01.08.26 · How we move in the dry, Molly Hunt
- 2 August – 15 August 2026 · LSJ Private Collection
- 19 August 2026 · Oracles of the Valley
- 24 October – 22 November 2026 · BLAK LUB, Jessica Johnson (on now)
That is sixteen shows in our first fourteen months, from painting to design, from solo shows to family and collaborative exhibitions. You can browse the whole archive on our exhibitions page and see opening-night photographs from How we move in the dry in the gallery. To get to know the people behind the work, read Meet the artists.
Our first birthday
The Black Canoe's first birthday was planned for 29 August 2026. A year earlier, our first exhibition opened on 31.08.25, and in the twelve months between, the space grew from a new gallery and café into a place with a full program, a growing collection and a community around it.
A first birthday is a milestone for any small business. For an Aboriginal-owned gallery and café building a platform for First Nations artists and contemporary creatives, it is also a reminder of why we started: to create opportunities for artists, to connect them with collectors and audiences, and to do it in a space that feels welcoming to everyone who walks in.
What comes next
Right now, our second year is under way with BLAK LUB, a collection of old and new works by Sydney based Warumungu designer and artist, Jessica Johnson, on until 22 November 2026. Read our BLAK LUB feature to plan your visit.
Beyond that, the program will keep moving, as it always has. There are a few ways to be part of it:
- Visit. Shop 1, 1-3 Botany Rd, Waterloo NSW 2017, Tuesday to Sunday, 10am – 4pm. Come for a coffee, stay for the show.
- Take a piece home. Original, one-of-a-kind works are available to purchase directly in our shop.
- Book our space. Host your next opening, dinner or gathering surrounded by art. Venue booking includes a $500 refundable security bond and a minimum $100 catering spend, with three curated catering menus. See Book our space.
- Join the mailing list. Sign up in the footer of any page to hear about new shows and openings first, and follow us on Instagram at @theblackcanoe.au.
Thank you to every artist who has hung work on our walls, every collector who has taken a piece home, and everyone who has sat with a coffee and looked a little longer. Here is to the next year.
