The Blender Studios

The Blender Studios is a long-running Melbourne art complex built around working studios, street art and fine art. Founded in 2001, it has developed alongside Melbourne’s urban art movement and now hosts more than 24 resident artists. The studio’s practice brings street artists and research-based fine artists together, with artists working across a diverse range of mediums and ideas.

Visitors can engage with the venue through guided street art tours, workshops and special events. The tours take participants through Melbourne’s streets with an experienced street artist, with regular CBD tours, a monthly Fitzroy tour and private options for corporate groups and schools. Workshops cover freehand and stencil street art, while kids’ holiday programs provide a more family-focused way to take part. Private, corporate and school workshops are also available.

For a hands-on experience, the Melbourne Paint Lab invites participants to experiment with splattering, splashing and dripping paint to create an abstract artwork. The studio also presents changing exhibitions and experimental work, alongside art performances, business launches, cocktail parties and corporate events. Its commissions program develops murals, space activations, tailored workshop projects and other artist-led commissions, with each resident artist bringing an individual style.

The atmosphere described by the studio is communal and active rather than purely display-focused. Its open-plan layout places studios around shared spaces, encouraging discussion, constructive criticism and interaction between artists. The site describes Blender as a hub for street artists and fine artists, and as the headquarters of Melbourne Street Tours, Dark Horse Experiment, The Blender Loft and Blender Creatives. Dark Horse Experiment, located in the same building, is a contemporary gallery focused on experimental and research-led exhibitions across any medium.

The Blender Studios suits visitors who want more context and participation than a conventional gallery visit, whether that means joining a street art tour, trying a workshop or attending a changing exhibition or event. It also has clear options for schools, corporate groups, families attending kids’ programs and artists or organisations seeking mural and project work. The venue is listed in Docklands, Melbourne, while its website describes the current studios as being in West Melbourne on Dudley Street.