Ian Hartley is an interior designer, artist and composer based in Sydney, Australia. Hartley studied at the University of NSW (1975–79) and at East Sydney Art School (1979–81).

Active as an artist, curator, publisher and musician since the mid 1970s, Hartely exhibited in a variety of artist-run and commercial gallery settings such The Yellow House, ICE and Hogarth Galleries.

Hartley's activities as a curator and instigator of film screenings in the late 1970s and early 1980s, particularly his work as a co-curator of ICE (Institute of Contemporary Events) at various locations including the former Darlinghurst film headquarters of the Co-Op Cinema, provided crucial opportunities for Sydney's art audiences to view then-contemporary work in film and video. Hartley was responsible for programing many late night screenings of music videos, underground and experimental film.

In 1987 Hartley won two Australian Film Institute Awards for Best Music Video and Best Art Video for his 'Bang Bang' 12-inch record.

Hartley was responsible for designing, creating, and administrating some of Sydney’s influential nightclubs including The Hip Hop Bar, Site, Jaemison Street, Soho Bar, Kinsela's, Base, Dome, Peppermint Lounge, Candy's Apartment and Q Bar. Many of these venues provided opportunities for artists working in film, video and audio-visual mediums to screen their work. In 2002 he hosted Down Town Tonight a television talk show on Channel 31.