Kaupapa

Hutch is a contemporary art gallery located in Ōtepoti (Dunedin), Aotearoa New Zealand. The gallery represents a diverse range of contemporary artists from across the motu, with a strong focus on quality, connection, and community.  

Founded and directed by Julia Hutchinson, with support from her husband and co-director Jay Hutchinson, Hutch is the result of a shared vision and complementary skills. Julia brings a background in design, while Jay is both a practicing artist and an experienced gallery technician. Together, their combined expertise and a passion to showcase the work of artists they admire led them to seek out the perfect gallery space in Ōtepoti. 

They found it at 21 Moray Place: a character-filled historic site with high, curved ceilings, leadlight windows, and a quiet sense of grandeur. The couple signed the lease in March 2025 and immediately embarked on two months of intensive renovations. Taking on the mahi themselves, Julia and Jay transformed the space with care and intention, creating a gallery that feels refined, inviting, and deeply respectful of the building’s heritage. 

Hutch is housed within the Chambers Building, constructed in 1874 for the Dunedin Temperance Hall Company, an organisation formed by members of the Pioneer Lodge of the Temperance Order of Good Templars. This historic venue once hosted gatherings of a vibrant and influential social movement. Today, visitors can still see echoes of its past in the original bluestone rear wall, the soaring ceiling (designed to enhance oratory), and the 151-year-old Kauri floorboards underfoot. 

The gallery launched its inaugural exhibition, Welcome Home, on 9 May 2025. The show features work by seven artists from around Aotearoa, each of whom will be invited back for future solo exhibitions. Julia and Jay are now focused on growing Hutch, developing their business, building a strong curatorial brand, and continuing to create a space where contemporary art can thrive.