I first met Sebastian Goldspink in the basement of the Kings Cross car park. It was hot and smelly but he ran the most spectacular ARI (artist-run initiative), Alaska Projects, in the dungeon. It’s where he showed Ramesh Nithiyendran (now at Sullivan and Strumpf), Sarah Contos and Tom Polo (both now at Roslyn Oxley), Reko Rennie (Station Gallery), Jonny Niesche (now at Sarah Cottier), Kylie Banyard (Nicholas Thompson Gallery) and many others.

Now he runs Redleaf in Woollahra, where the ventilation is better. Goldspink is a backer of emerging artists - even when he curated the 2022 Adelaide Biennale, he chose icons such as Julie Rrap and Shaun Gladwell alongside newer artists, such as Min Wong, James Tylor and Rebecca Selleck. Later, he manned the first National Art School stall at Sydney Contemporary.

ARIs are where you’ll find creators right at the beginning of their careers. Their work might have been in a student show before (if you want real bargains, visit annual graduate shows at Sydney College of the Arts, National Art School and UNSW Art & Design).

But pretty often, young artists will have their first serious exhibitions, maybe their first body of work, as opposed to one or two pieces, at an ARI. Penelope Benton, newish executive director of the National Association for the Visual Arts, says ARIs are the incubators of experimental artistic practice, important spaces for artists at all stages of their careers. Don’t get frightened by the word experimental! It might have led you to Sarah Contos’s body parts at the long gone and much lamented MOP.

Sydney has some glorious and surprising ARIs and occasionally young artists (and even older ones) will hang around, answering questions, looking nervous and secretly hoping: “Pick me! Pick me!” You can have your first discussions with the makers, usually pretty nervous. Will they tell you what the work’s about? Sure. You can see whether that fits in with what you think.

The grandparent of all Sydney ARIs is Firstdraft, born in 1986, living in Woollomooloo. Now it’s more mainstream, has employees, gets government grants - but the vibe is still emerging artists. You can’t buy from them directly - JD Reforma, development manager at First Draft, says Firstdraft encourages buying directly from the artist.

“We bring artists their first opportunities and their first audiences,” says Reforma. Every year in November, it holds a magnificent auction to raise funds and the artists are not just beginners but also stars like Tracey Moffatt and Noel McKenna.

Try Airspace, a deceptively large space at 10 Junction Street, Marrickville, which goes high on experimental, including the dramatic felt body part sculptures made by Kirsten Drewes earlier this year. They were affordable and arresting. Think fluffy Louise Bourgeois.

Elevator ARI deserves attention for losing its Lismore premises not once but twice in the floods and surviving. The water breached the second story ceiling, says cofounder Betty Russ. They’ve just reopened “by the skin of our teeth”. Russ says it’s the only creative arts space open in the area. They sell on the spot. New shows starting next week.

Rebecca Gallo is one of 12 directors of Pari, the only ARI in western Sydney, she says. It’s a side hustle for these artist and curators but “we love it and we care about it”. Exhibitions are always group shows, with artists whose work somehow connects. Artists often hang around the shows so you can both talk to them and buy work from them. Pari also holds events and lectures.

Boomalli is a cooperative for First Nations artists from NSW. It shows about 60 artists, a combination of emerging and established and its director is Bronwyn Bancroft (not only a wonderful artist but also the author of Australia’s best baby books). The next show, Umbarra (Black Duck) takes flight! is a collaboration with Umbarra Aboriginal Cultural Centre (Wallaga Lake NSW), representing emerging artists from the NSW south coast.

LÆRK is a bit of a crossover of ARI and new commercial gallery. Its aim is to showcase local, queer, cross- cultural work and its named for its director, Annie Lark. 163 Wilson St Newtown

Other ARIs include:

Our Neon Foe, 411 Parramatta Rd, Leichhardt

Puzzle Gallery, 21 - 23 Wellington St, Chippendale

Tiles at Lewishamd Chris Burton representing the new gallery says it will exhibit artists from the inner-west and from Canberra, a natural extension. Works from $300.

Frontyard is a building, a creative residency program, a library, a garden among other things, mostly located at 228 Illawarra Rd, Marrickville NSW 2204.

Disclaimer: I’ve been hanging around art galleries with my spouse for 40 years We took our kids when they were little enough to be taken - and then later, even when we had to drag them there. They give up complaining after a while. Now I’ve been to most of the places mentioned here, bought from many of them and even had some of those spiky emails and phone calls when the addiction outstripped the lived reality of earning a living. I bought a small Bangala bark painting from Myer (yep, it had a gallery) in 1983. It was about $100. I still love it. Art fairs are the closest you will ever get to a shopping centre for visual arts. Have a go yourself.