The Michael Commerford Gallery (MCG) opened its doors in 1986 in Rushcutters Bay. It began as an accomplished framing business and small gallery. It’s hard to imagine now but in the 80s the area was largely industrial; the neighbourhood more shabby than “chic”. But the rent was cheap and they soon found their niche in a quickly changing, affluent area.

In 1996 the MCG took its next big step and became an exhibiting gallery featuring renowned WA artists Brendon Darby and Helen Norton. At its peak, Michael’s gallery represented between 30-40 artists. However, managing those numbers came at a cost. In the throes of developing his own distinctive Vayu technique, Michael felt increasingly distracted and frustrated. That’s when karma stepped in.

The landlord of the gallery suddenly decided to sell the property, so Michael was forced to look for another location. He drew breath, closed his eyes and visualised what he wanted: two large front windows, space for the framing business, a studio area to create his “Vayu” signature style and a location somewhere between Edgecliff and Rushcutters Bay. As it turned out, that’s exactly what he got – that and a vision for the future.

“Of all the people I’ve represented I had two artists that I really believed in. I admired their talent, their work ethic and the energy they brought to the gallery. It’s a soulful business being an artist so in time James, Reni and I found strong common ground and became good friends.” Vayu

This simplification means that the MCG of the future will be built on the talents of three distinctly different artists. Artists that are as singular with the materials they use as they are with their own individual artistic methods. With exhibitions currently being organised both inter-state and internationally, it’s exciting to imagine where this next incarnation will take them.

Our Studio

It’s a gallery, a framing studio and an art studio – with Vayu being elevated to a higher plane (Michael resides upstairs). The excellent coffee fuels the creativity inside and the buzz of the city outside keeps things exciting. You never know who’s going to walk through the door. There’s always a car park nearby so feel free to drop in for a latte.

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