Aboriginal Exhibitions Gallery at Rutherglen Estates is housed inside a warehouse space of the historic 1880s Seppelts Cellars building; today a part of the Tuileries function centre, restaurant and boutique hotel complex in Drummond St, Rutherglen, Victoria.
The art gallery is combined within Rutherglen Estate winery’s new cellar door tasting room. It features a distinctive NYC Soho industrial feel – exposed timber ceiling beams, gigantic redgum pillars and concrete flooring and masonry walls are powerful architectural elements, while sleek matt black gallery lighting fittings and tracks and a massive porcelain tasting bench add a clean modernist contrast to the space.
Central to the space is the expansive wine tastings bar, constructed by artisan craftsman Adam Williams of Wilko Cabinets, Buckland Valley, Victoria. The bar surface is constructed using Dekton – a unique synthesised porcelain/stone surface with zero porosity. It is both beautiful and wine friendly. Other structural improvements to the building were completed by HIA award-wining Master Builder Steve Graves of Bright Alpine Builders. Steve installed new entry doors and a cleanly constructed central wall to separate the tasting room and rear gallery spaces. The central wall also features a sliding internal door/wall element, allowing for the two gallery spaces to be separated, or closed off for private functions and exhibition change overs. Steve’s team also constructed a range of new Victorian Ash arched timber doors that are a decorative feature that complete the space.
