Melbourne
National Gallery of Victoria: 2023 Triennial

The first triennial post-pandemic is as ambitious as you would expect, with 100 projects and 120 artists, designers and collectives in this global celebration of contemporary art. International hits range from Agnieszka Pilat’s painting robot dogs and David Shrigley’s Really good sculpture in the gallery entrance, plus stars like Yoko Ono and Tracey Emin, while local favourites include Betty Muffler’s exquisite paintings of Country—thoughtfully written about by Maya Hodge.

Art Guide ‘What’s On’ | National Gallery of Victoria

Melbourne
Australia Centre for Contemporary Art: From the other side

You don’t often see horror honoured and interrogated in art exhibitions, which makes ACCA’s summer show all the more exciting. From the other side features 19 artists—local and international, historic and contemporary, with a focus on women and First Nations practitioners. The result is a delectable exploration of the transgressive, as writer Sally Gearon explores through the alluring power of horror.

Art Guide ‘What’s On’ | Australian Centre for Contemporary Art

Sydney
Art Gallery of New South Wales: Wassily Kandinsky and Louise Bourgeois

Two giants of 20th century art, Wassily Kandinsky and Louise Bourgeois, are showing in separate exhibitions at the Art Gallery of New South Wales over summer. While the Kandinsky show considers the artist’s spiritual symbolism, the Bourgeois exhibition is the largest survey of her work to date. In celebration of Bourgeois, we asked five women artists to write on one work in the exhibition—the results are simply illuminating.

Art Guide ‘What’s On’ | Art Gallery of New South Wales

Sydney
Museum of Contemporary Art: Tacita Dean

Since the early 1990s, British artist Tacita Dean has gifted us myriad artworks on the intimacy, unexpectedness, and materiality of film and image making. With a new, vast survey at the Museum of Contemporary Art tracing Dean’s explorations of history and chance, this show is an opportunity to see a contemporary art icon—and before going, it’s worth reading Isabella Trimboli’s poignant reflection on Dean’s work.

Art Guide ‘What’s On’ | Museum of Contemporary Art

Darwin
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory: NATSIAAs

The Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAAs) annually celebrate the genuine breadth of First Nations art. This year you’ll see Keith Wikmunea’s winning sculptural piece titled Ku’, Theewith & Kalampang: The White Cockatoo, Galah and the wandering Dog, 2023, alongside award winners in all categories and all finalist works. For further reading, First Nations curator Clothilde Bullen reflects on the NATSIAAs recent milestone of 40 years.

Art Guide ‘What’s On’ | Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory

Brisbane
Gallery of Modern Art: Fairy Tales

Contemporary art meets folklore in this magical exhibition at Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art, delivering stories of bravery and revenge, aspiration and humility—and ultimately looking at the impact of story itself. There are international icons like Anish Kapoor, Yayoi Kusama and Kiki Smith; First Nations artists including Destiny Deacon and Tracey Moffatt; and Australian artists like Abdul Abdullah, Del Kathryn Barton and Patricia Piccinini. There’s also a feminist undertone, which Nehal Kale beautifully unthreads in ‘The women raised by wolves’.

Art Guide ‘What’s On’ | Gallery of Modern Art

Perth
Art Gallery of Western Australia: The Antipodean Manifesto

Charles Blackman, Arthur Boyd, David Boyd, John Brack, Robert Dickerson, John Perceval, and Clifton Pugh formed the Antipodean group in 1959, in an effort to preserve figuration in art at a time when abstraction was taking precedence. The Antipodean Manifesto explores the seven artist’s work from this period, covering painting, drawing, print and ceramics. Check out our preview here.

Art Guide ‘What’s On’ | Art Gallery of Western Australia

Adelaide
Art Gallery of South Australia: Tarnanthi

Tarnanthi is always a must-see. The centre of the contemporary art event is the Art Gallery of South Australia, but with 27 venues across the city in total, there is always something to explore. Program highlights include Vincent Namatjira’s first survey exhibition, as well as work from Wally Wilfred, Dora Parker, Janet Fieldhouse and Tiger Yaltangki. Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen talks to festival director Nici Cumptson here.

Art Guide ‘What’s On’ | Art Gallery of South Australia

Hobart
Mona: Jean-Luc Moulène and Teams | Jónsi

Mona has multiple summer offerings this year. For one, French artist Jean-Luc Moulène has teamed up with curators, fabricators, digital designers, production departments, and Mona itself to create four new artworks that utilise the natural materials within the Tasmanian wilderness. Plus Icelandic musician and visual artist Jónsi has created Hrafntinna (Obsidian)—an immersive experience that simulates the sensory experience of being inside a volcano. Sally Gearon examined how both exhibitions offer a recreation of nature.

Art Guide ‘What’s On’ | Museum of Old and New Art

Canberra
National Gallery of Australia: Emily Kam Kngwarray

There is a timeless quality to Emily Kam Kngwarray’s work that has cemented her as one of Australia’s most beloved artists. This survey exhibition at the NGA explores the senior Anmatyerr woman’s dedication to Country, from her early batiks to the large-scale paintings that made her famous later in life. If you’re around Canberra, this is certainly one you won’t want to miss. And catch Andrew Stephens preview on the artist’s great legacy.

Art Guide ‘What’s On’ | National Gallery of Australia