Kaboo Studio Bondi Junction – accessible art Sydney

Braeden has never been a fan of painting. We’ve tried various ways of helping him engage with art and over the years we have found that if it is fun, he is more likely to give it a go. For someone with limited fine motor skills I think basic colouring and painting is just too hard. And fair enough! When a friend told me about Kaboo Studio and the splatter painting experiences they offer to people of any ability, I thought it sounded like something that would appeal to Braeden. It’s not easy to find casual accessible art opportunities.

Kaboo Studio Bondi Junction – accessible art Sydney

Kaboo Studio was created by a mum with two young children. Yasmin, the studio owner, believes accessibility and inclusivity is important and wanted to make sure she created a space which caters to a variety of needs and skill levels. Let’s just say she was speaking my language with every sentence she spoke about making sure everyone could have fun at Kaboo.

Braeden mostly needs hand on hand assistance to participate in painting, so he and Hubby had a marvellous time flicking, spraying and painting the canvas. Mess is no problem at the Kaboo Studio, in fact, it’s encouraged. With that in mind, guests are warned to wear clothing that you don’t mind getting paint on and shoe covers and recyclable ponchos are provided. Braeden thought that was hilarious but wasn’t a fan of wearing one himself.

Braeden’s poncho came off as quickly as it went on so Yasmin provided him with an apron instead. I love that an alternative was found and offered without any fuss.

Braeden had the opportunity to choose the colours he wanted to use to create his masterpiece.

We were shown the various suggested methods for colouring our canvas and encouraged to use whatever suited Braeden best whether that was paint brush, syringe, hands or anything else we could think of. We also had the option of painting the canvas at the easel, by hanging it on the wall or placing it on the floor.

Braeden’s favourite method was putting paint in the syringe. It was fast and effective but deadly to nearby observers like myself. Braeden managed to miss the canvas, hit the wall (totally acceptable at Kaboo Studio) where it ricocheted and hit me in the neck. Suffice to say we won’t be taking him to a shooting range anytime soon.

At Kaboo Studio artists have the option of transforming their art into a gift or keepsake. Braeden’s artwork was scanned and he chose from various designs to print on a bag. See the t-shirt examples above.

We booked a 1 hour classic splatter painting session which included a 16″ x 20″ canvas, paints, brushes, splatter tools, smocks/aprons, goggles, shoe and hair covers and a take home box.

Kaboo Studio Bondi Junction – accessibility

Lift access is provided from the street to the studio.

Once in the studio there is plenty of room to circulate in a wheelchair. As I mentioned above, artists are able to choose where the canvas sits so there is the opportunity to use a position that best suits your ability. The art trolleys have the paint well stabilised in a holder similar to a muffin pan. The trolleys are on wheels so you are able to position it where it is most comfortable.

Braeden needed assistance to flick and syringe the paint but it didn’t detract from his enjoyment at all. In fact, I think he loved sharing the whole experience with Hubby.

Two hours free Parking is available in the Eastgate Shopping Centre opposite or in Bondi Junction which is a bit further away (still walkable and wheelable).

Support workers or carers are free.

Toilets are available on the same level as the studio but these are not accessible bathrooms. Some people may manage fine with these but accessible bathrooms are available 50 m away in the Eastgate Shopping Centre opposite the studio.

If, like me, you are wondering where the name Kaboo comes from. Well, the name is inspired by a favourite children’s book. Kaboo is an imaginary world where people go to play, laugh and have fun. And we certainly did all those things while Braeden painted. And the best bit, we walked away with Braeden’s paintings and left all the mess behind.

I can imagine this would be a fab spot for a party and I love that it’s not weather dependent.

We loved the welcoming nature of the staff at the Kaboo Studio and Braeden thoroughly enjoyed participating in a splatter art session. I am sure Braeden will return to try his hand at more art in the future.

We paid for our visit and as always our opinions are our own. You can read more about this experience on the Kaboo Studio website.