Long-vacant Shenton Park building reborn as thriving arts destination
A long-vacant Shenton Park building has been transformed into a thriving creative hub bringing new energy to Shenton Park and providing a vibrant home for artists and audiences, with SAVA Gallery hosting five exhibitions in its first five months.
Located at 377 Railway Road in Shenton Park, the building stood vacant for several years before SAVA founders Zac Cawdron and Nelson Mondlane took on the space.
The gallery is another example of the success of City of Subiaco’s partnership with urban-renewal organisation SPACEMRKT, which transforms underused spaces by connecting artists, creative businesses, and community organisations..
Before opening in March, the SAVA team spent five months bringing the building back to life. The extensive work included repainting its interior and exterior, replacing windows, installing new plumbing, handrails, lighting, and gallery hanging systems, and revitalising the outdoor areas.
The renewed building now features two gallery spaces, two artist studios, outdoor mural walls, and an event space.
City of Subiaco Mayor David McMullen said the transformation demonstrated the impact of giving underused properties a new purpose.
“Vacant buildings create challenges, and this building was long-vacant. However, we now have a thriving pop-up destination for artists, audiences, and the wider community, right here in Shenton Park” Mayor McMullen said.
“This is an example of what can happen when local government, property owners, creative organisations, and artists work together.
“The City's partnership with SPACEMRKT – who had already activated other pop-up locations in our City – has opened the door for SAVA to do their thing at this location. They have done much more than fill an empty space; they have established an exciting new cultural destination.”
SAVA Director and Curator Zac Cawdron said the vision was to create a space for artists to create artworks, not just show them.
“We wanted to bring different art forms into one space – fine art, street art, graffiti, and sculpture – with different styles and different scenes all speaking to each other,” he said.
“The response has been incredible. Three of our first five exhibition opening nights have sold out, and hundreds of creatives have come through the doors to connect.
“SAVA is more than a gallery; it is a community. The people who come to our shows express their appreciation that we exist, allowing them to feel accepted for who they are around like-minded individuals.”
SAVA is Perth’s only gallery showcasing graffiti art and will present a new exhibition each month for the remainder of 2026.
Its next exhibition, Common Thief, by Perth muralist and painter Jordan Rush, opens from 6pm to 10pm on Friday 14 August. The exhibition explores the forces that quietly take away people’s time, identity, and connection.
For more information and upcoming exhibitions, visit the SAVA ART website.
RELATED: