Art

You don’t have to look far to find examples of extraordinary art at Sofitel Adelaide – the hotel is itself a living gallery, with original art pieces capturing the brand’s French origins, and taking inspiration from its South Australian heritage and surrounds.

Field of Dreams, an original art piece by Australian fine-art photographer, Alexia Sinclair, forms the centrepiece of the hotel lobby, with segments of this historic French-inspired artwork appearing in custom-made lightboxes to dramatically illuminate the entire porte-cochère ceiling – a bewitching teaser of what lies inside the hotel.

A striking flowing red wine-inspired chandelier is also unmissable, designed to draw guests from the lobby into the hotel’s lobby bar area for a relaxed luxury encounter.

Beyond the hotel, guests can arrange to take an artist-led tours to a range of different art galleries and cultural points of interest across the city, including Adelaide’s JamFactory art gallery in the heart of the city’s west end creative precinct. Other tours will showcase murals by past graduates of the Adelaide Central School of Art. Take a turn into the impressive French Renaissance-style Mortlock Wing at the State Library. Or uncover emerging artists at Floating Goose Studios via Adelaide’s sustainable upcycling centre and studio, The Remakery.

For those with more time, a self-guided day trip is a great opportunity to further immerse yourself in Adelaide’s cultural scene. Fine art lovers can head to The Cedars in Hahndorf, where daily tours operate to explore the studio, home and grounds of famed 20th-century landscape painter Hans and Nora Heysen.

Enjoy a day at the Art Gallery of South Australia, or the South Australian Museum. Or experience the vibrancy and diversity of contemporary First Nations artists at small local businesses around the city such as Sun Sea Clay, or Tandanya, and APY Collective – professional art making studios where culture is celebrated, maintained, and carefully instructed to younger generations by Aboriginal elders. We encourage asking questions to learn more about First Nations artists and art, such as who and where is the artist from; how did the artwork secured for the gallery or exhibition; are there royalties or licensing fees for reproductions of the work; and is the gallery a member of the Indigenous Art Code.

For those who love a festival, the South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival is an annual, month-long event that celebrates the work of South Australian visual artists alive today. Every August, more than 9,000 artists participate by putting on an exhibition of work (or holding an arts event like an artist talk, workshop, or forum), at some 600 venues across the state, including in the CBD area around Sofitel Adelaide.

When visiting galleries, museums and events, please be respectful of the significance of these pieces and places to the Indigenous community of the Kaurna land. Ensure that all signage and guidance from the employees and curators at these places is followed.