Everything you need to see at the National Gallery of Australia in 2023
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It’s time to get out your diaries—you won’t want to miss this.
Ground-breaking works, two major First Nations exhibitions, and more—the National Gallery of Australia’s (NGA) 2023 program has officially been announced and culture vultures better get excited.
Here’s everything you need to see (there are plenty of goodies to look forward to).
Cressida Campbell
A comprehensive and visually stunning tribute to Cressida Campbell’s legacy as one of Australia’s finest modern artists, you’ll have to hurry to catch the last days of this exhibition (trust us, it’s worth it). Read more here.
Until Sunday 19 February | Ticketed |
The Mulka Project: Djarraṯawun
Lighting up the NGA in March as part of the 2023 Enlighten Festival, the Mulka Project (a collective of Yolŋu digital artists from Northeast Arnhem Land) is presenting a new projection and sound-based work—Djarraṯawun.
Portraying the elemental forces and life cycles of our world, expect to see walu (sunlight), makarran (lightning) and gurtha (fire) intertwine with songlines and atmospheric soundscapes, immersing you in the Yolŋu world of Northeast Arnhem Land.
Friday 3 March until Monday 13 March | Free
Jonathan Jones
untitled (walam-wunga.galang, 2020-21) by renowned Wiradjuri/Kamilaroi artist, Jonathan Jones—a collaborative project with Uncle Stan Grant Senior and Beatrice Murray—is the ultimate celebration of Aboriginal agricultural economy.
Using large-scale sandstone grindstones and a soundscape in Wiradjuri language, the artwork focuses on the south-east cultural practice of collecting seeds and grinding them to make flour or bread, emphasising the sophistication of the practice (which was erased by colonial narratives of First Nation’s people as hunters-gatherers).
Saturday 4 March until Sunday 23 July | Free
Haegue Yang: Changing From From To From
Immersive and diverse, this multimedia exhibition combines materials and cultural traditions with references ranging from science and art history to political events—making connections between divergent worlds of contemporary mass production, ancient tradition, and natural phenomena. See you there?
Saturday 27 May until Sunday 24 September | Free
Ngura Pulka – Epic Country
Is it possible for a painting to BE Country? This is the question that Ngura Pulka – Epic Country asks. Showcasing 29 large-scale paintings by three generations of Aṉangu artists alongside the most ambitious Kulata Tjuta installation to date (which features 2500 spears), this is one of the largest and most significant First Nations community-driven art projects to have ever been developed. Run, don’t walk.
Saturday 3 June until Sunday 8 October | Free
Nan Goldin
A sequence of 126 Cibachrome photographs by revolutionary American photographer Nan Goldin between 1973 and 1986, The Ballad of Sexual Dependency is Goldin’s most famous work (and one of the cornerstones of contemporary photography).
Decades-long in the making, The Ballad is a rare acquisition for the NGA and a must-see for anyone interested in people and their social and cultural context.
Saturday 8 July until Sunday 28 January 2024 | Free
Janet Fieldhouse
Inspired by her matrilineal connections to the Torres Strait Islander communities, Kalaw Lagaw Ya/Meriam Mir artist Janet Fieldhouse is known for her usually intricate and small-scale sculptures which depict the elasticity in nature.
The second commission in the National Gallery x Art Makers series, this large-scale work for the National Gallery’s Sculpture Garden is her most ambitious work to date.
September 2023 until September 2024 | Free
Emily Kame Kngwarreye
If you saw (and loved) Emily Kame Kngwarreye’s exhibition Alhalkere—Paintings from Utopia, you can’t miss this extensive survey of her work.
Including paintings, textiles (batiks), sculptures, and works on paper drawn from international and national collections, there will be many never-before-seen works.
Saturday 2 December until Sunday 28 April 2024 | Ticketed
Jordan Wolfson: Body Sculpture
Reflecting the socio-political currents of the United States today, Jordan Wolfson’s animatronic sculptures stage the artist’s desire to reach a deeper register of audience feeling.
Drawing from a lineage of 20th-century sculpture as well as images and motifs from the mass media, popular culture, and the internet, this is the first solo presentation of Wolfson’s work in Australia.
Saturday 9 December until Sunday 28 April 2024 | Free
Feature image: Nyunmiti Burton in the APY Studio Adelaide © APY Art Centre Collective
