“Exhibition Spaces” for Sale in Darwin

As predicted, the NT’s CLP Government is inviting Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the future use of the State Square Building. Until recently, this half-completed building was known as the Northern Territory Art Gallery (NTAG) and intended for the Museum & Art Gallery of the NT’s art collection, but it fell foul of the new right-wing administration‘s concerns that the project was running $100m over budget.

Indeed, feisty new Chief Minister, Lia Finocchiaro said at the time that if she couldn’t find a suitable tenant, she’d “put a chain around the door and lock it. For it’s expected operating costs are likely be around $8 million per year and the new CBD gallery did not have a storage facility for the entirety of MAGNT’s holding collection”, which she added, was currently falling into ruin in storage at the Museum’s current location at Bullocky Point. “It’s in a shed, rusting to the ground”.

Sounds as though something should be done, if only for the sake of the NT’s much-vaunted “Territory lifestyle”.

And if you look at the builder, Sitzler’s website, by the way, it’s still calling it the Northern Territory Art Gallery, as indeed does the sign outside the construction, adding “A Place for Art, Ideas and Conversations”. However, the Government (based in Australia’s largest Parliament building nearby) believes that “The building, which has the potential to be a landmark in the heart of Darwin’s CBD, is ready to be reimagined with an architecturally designed, flexible shell offering three floors and a basement, and is suitable for many varied uses.

Minister for People, Sport and Culture, Jinson Charls poetically calls it “a blank canvas for visionary ideas from innovation hubs, education centres and tourism attractions, to cultural and arts centres or entertainment venues. Our goal is to see the State Square Building activated in a way that draws people in, supports local jobs and businesses, and adds vibrancy to the Civic and State Square precinct. This is about securing a future use for this building that benefits Territorians, boosts the economy, and makes our city centre a destination”.

While the government emphasises that the Building is “distinctively located in State Square near Parliament House, the Administrator’s Office and the Supreme Court, the building’s architecture draws on the Territory’s geology, landscape and climate to create a strong sense of place”, Sitzler insists that “The gallery will provide world-class exhibition spaces to showcase the Territory’s outstanding art collections, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artworks.  Sitzler will deliver four large galleries with high ceilings, a spacious foyer and workshop and interactive spaces. A shop and café will be delivered with connectivity to the landscaped Civic and State Square green spaces to help activate the area”.

Finally, Minister Charls justifies, “The CLP Government is promoting the opportunity nationally and internationally to attract the strongest proposals and the most innovative operators. We are committed to finding a use that delivers for the local community as well as visitors to the Territory”. Proposals will be assessed by the taskforce of NT Government agencies including the Department of People, Sport and Culture, Department of Trade, Business and Asian Relations, Department of Treasury and Finance, and Department of Logistics and Infrastructure. The EOI process will run until 20 October 2025.

And I was assured by MAGNT Director Adam Worrall during the recent NATSIAAs that his team will be putting in an EOI as soon as the Government’s expectations are known. Which they are here:  And potential users are therein assured, despite multiple years of confusion over cultural facilities in Darwin and Alice, “In Australia’s Northern Territory, the opportunities are real, and the backing is solid. The Territory offers scale, speed, and the support to make bold ideas real”.

The Government anticipates that “the construction of the State Square Building (as an art gallery) will be completed by mid 2026, followed by the successful proponent to take use (sic) of the building”.

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