Hamilton Gallery Closed

Published on 07 August 2026

Recent air quality testing at the Hamilton Gallery has identified elevated levels of fungal spores within parts of the building.

On the advice of specialist contractors, and out of an abundance of caution, Council has made the difficult decision to temporarily close the Gallery until further notice while further investigations and remediation works are undertaken.

Reports of moisture within the building activated further assessment which confirmed mould in three rooms within the building and subsequent air testing has shown elevated fungal spore levels. The contractor has advised that at this stage it is inconclusive whether the spores are linked to cross-contamination from water damage elsewhere in the building, or the active mould growth within the tested rooms themselves.

Expert advice is that the source of the contamination should be identified and addressed before the space is used for public events. A contractor will return to site next week for further assessment and remediation.

The health and wellbeing of our staff, volunteers, artists and visitors is our highest priority. While the effects of exposure to fungal spores can vary from person to person, we believe it is important to take a precautionary approach while the issue is fully assessed and resolved.

We know this news will be deeply disappointing for our community, particularly for those involved in the upcoming children's exhibition LOOK! and the much-anticipated Jimmi Buscombe exhibition. These exhibitions represent an enormous amount of work, creativity and passion, and we share the disappointment that they cannot proceed as planned at this time.

Council is committed to resolving the issue as quickly as possible and will continue to keep the community updated as more information becomes available.

We thank everyone for their understanding and patience as we work to ensure the Hamilton Gallery can safely reopen as soon as possible

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