BYRON'S CULTURAL HAVEN

Byron Bay has always punched above its weight creatively, and our cover star, Haven Gallery, is the latest proof of that. Boldly taking shape inside the old Woolworths building on the main drag, this isn’t just another addition to the scene. It's building something distinctly its own.

First and foremost, it is a gallery. Gallery curator Mimi Stein has put together a unique collection of world-class large-scale immersive installations, projection mapping, sculpture, interactive media and sensory art which fill a space reimagined from the ground up. This is art you don't just look at; you move through it, feel it, and lose yourself in it. Haven is built on a simple but powerful premise – creativity belongs to everyone. The space is radically accessible by design, welcoming people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities without apology or pretension.

But what makes Haven unlike anywhere else in the Northern Rivers is what happens once the sun goes down. The gallery features high-calibre electronic music, in a surreal setting and word has already spread well beyond Byron Bay. From Berlin to London, people are talking.

That's no accident. Haven's music wing is driven by the partnership between co-founders Jai Piccone and Corr Piccone, with Corr's son Jai serving as head music curator. Corr is the founder of Flow Music, a respected electronic music brand with a reputation locally and internationally for programming some of the best events in the region. Jai is a member of beloved internationally successful band TORA and an electronic music producer. Jai has been immersed in music since his teens, his connections and finger on the pulse is the reason that Haven has been placed firmly on the map.

When co-founder Simon Richardson, the former Byron Mayor, approached Corr and Jai about bringing their experience and partnership into the gallery, the fit was obvious. Between them they had the contacts, the credibility, and a shared conviction that Byron deserved something genuinely world-class.

The calibre of musical acts Haven attracts is such that Friday and Saturday night events are ticketed. Haven has become a legitimate stop on the international touring circuit, giving international artists a viable extra stop on their Australian tour. The result is a lineup pulling top-tier electronic music artists from across the country and around the world.

Haven has a strong Japanese and pan-Asian artistic thread running through much of the design and décor. This three-dimensional world is the creation of artists, Oliver Buckworth, Zelimir Harasty and Katsu Yokohama and that influence is woven into the gallery's bones. Oliver and Zelimir have contributed major pieces throughout the gallery.

The main bar and convenience store channel a distinctly Little Tokyo atmosphere: sake and cocktails flow freely, and Asian cuisine rolls out from the on-site food trailer. On Friday and Saturday nights, live acts perform outside before the crowd moves in and the building takes over. The gallery breathes.

And yet for all its international reach, Haven is proudly local, genuinely owned by locals and built for the community that shaped it. A space where a school excursion and a headline DJ set can exist in the same building without contradiction. Haven Gallery isn't filling anyone's shoes. It's doing something altogether different, and this region is better for it.

havengallerybyron.com | @haven__gallery | @haven_au