Bringing art to the heart of Oxford Street, this buzzing hub of cool emits New York style effortlessly.
The Oxford Art Factory is the kind of venue that allows Sydneysiders to breathe a heavy sigh of relief. We can turn to our boozehound brothers in New York and Melbourne and say, "Ha! Stick this in your culture-cool pipe and smoke it" (outside or in designated areas, of course).
Taking over the sprawling underground space previously home to Central Station Records, OAF has written one fat check that its denim-clad ass can cash. Walking downstairs into the gallery bar, you'll encounter a regularly updated mural by so-now-they're-actually-tomorrow graffiti artists, high ceilings, concrete floors and a sea of kids in wayfarers.
With some serious substance behind all the style, the well stocked bar is split down the middle by a very soundproof wall of glass. Once you've found your way though to the other side, a live performance venue awaits, offering up anything from live indie gigs to burlesque to quirky theatre, depending on the night.
Hold your well-coiffed head high, Surry folk; you've just been delivered a world-class venue dedicated to underground art and the people who make it. And when the doors close at the end of the night, you're only a moment's stumble from the late-night/early-morning comfort of Vegas Bar or, dare we say it, New York Slice.
Claire Ward
