Highlights: the visual arts calendar for January – June 2024
2024 will be a “cracker” year for the visual arts. ArtsHub has made it easy for you to plan your diary and your travel, to lock in your must-sees, and be ahead of the news on who’s showing and who’s hot this year.
January
Many major exhibitions and summer blockbusters opened in December and continue into the early month of 2024, including the NGV Triennial, Kandinsky, Louise Bourgeois, Tacita Dean among others. Take a look at our 2023-2024 summer exhibition planner for more details.
Telly Tuita: Tongpop’s Great Expectations (NSW)Drawing on childhood memories of Tonga, Tongpop’s Great Expectations, is Telly Tuita’s first solo exhibition in Australia. Details: 3 January – 28 March, Campbelltown Art Centre (C-A-C). Free.Commissioned by Campbelltown Arts Centre and curated by Isabelle Morgan.
Chen Manborn, ‘Wan studies hard’ (2011). Trobe University, Geoff Raby Collection of Chinese Art. 2019 © Chen Man. Photo: Jia De.
In Our Time: Four decades of art from China and beyond (NSW)Former Australian Ambassador to China, art commentator and collector, Geoff Raby shares his collection of over 70 artworks across themes of sex, power and politics in contemporary China.Details: 19 January – 30 March, NAS Gallery, National Art School, Darlinghurst. Free.
Justine Youssef/Arthur Jafa/Dawn Ng (Qld)Three exhibitions kick off 2024 in a new look Institute of Modern Art (IMA) in Brisbane: a multimedia installation by Darug/Sydney-based artist Justine Youssef: Somewhat Eternal, a new video work by Arthur Jafa: Love Is the Message, the Message Is Death and an exhibition that explores memory by Singaporean artist Dawn Ng: Avalanche. These exhibitions are part of a new curatorial shift for the IMA. Director Robert Leonard has appointed a suite of new Adjunct Curators – Stephanie Berlangieri (Carriageworks), Shannon Brett and queer art history collective Kink, comprising Amelia Barikin (UQ), Courtney Coombs, Callum McGrath, Spiros Panigirakis (Monash University) and Timothy Riley Walsh (MCA). Details: 20 January – 7 April, Institute of Modern Art (IMA), Brisbane. Free
February Yhonnie Scarce, ‘Cloud Chamber’, 2020. Image: courtesy of the artist and THIS IS NO FANTASY. Photo: Andrew Curtis.
Yhonnie Scarce: The Light of Day (WA)Three decades of work by one of Australia’s most important First Nations artists, Yhonnie Scarce in this landmark survey exhibition for Perth.Details: 2 February – 19 May, Art Gallery of Western Australia. Free.
Steven Rhall and Sung Tieu: Statecraft (Vic)A major exhibition of sculpture, video and installation works by Taungurung-Australian artist Steven Rhall and Vietnamese-German artist Sung Tieu.Details: 3 February – 23 March, Monash University Museum of Art (MUMA). Free.
Joan Jonas: Sun Signals (WA)US artist Joan Jonas’ first Australian exhibition, Sun Signals, will present sculpture, performance, video and installation for Perth Festival 2024.Details: 9 February – 31 March, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA). Free.
How we remember tomorrow (Qld)Exploring storytelling across generations, through oceans and waterways and transcending eras and perspectives.Details: 13 February – 15 June, UQ Art Museum, University of Queensland. Free.
Robert Hengeveld, ‘Kentucky Perfect’, 2019. Installation view at Latvian National Museum of Art. Photo: Didzis Grodzs.
NOT NATURAL (Vic)Exploring our increasing ability to control nature, and the plethora of possibilities and ethical dilemmas that come with that power.Details: 17 February – 29 June, Science Gallery, University of Melbourne. Free.
Yucky (SA)A group exhibition that explores the personal and political complexities that exist as part of disabled and neurodivergent experience. Led by artist Sam Petersen.Details: 17 February – 4 May, Adelaide Contemporary Experimental (ACT). Free.
2024 Melbourne Art Fair (Vic)Showcasing over 60 galleries, with the theme ketherba – a Boonwurrung word used to express a togetherness imbued with promise.Details: 22-25 February, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Ticketed.
March
18th Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Inner Sanctum (SA)Curated by José Da Silva and exploring the theme ‘Inner Sanctum’, this exhibition will offer an encounter with artists and poets interested in the human condition.Details: 1 March – 2 June, Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA). Free.Vernissage 29 February – 3 March.
Australian premiere at PHOTO 2024, Ryan McGinley, ‘Yearbook’, installation view at Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery 2016. Photo: Courtesy the artist.
PHOTO 2024 (Vic)Australia’s largest photography festival returns for its third edition: PHOTO 2024 International Festival of Photography across seven Festival Precincts in Melbourne, as well as five cities in regional Victoria. This year’s theme is ‘The Future Is Shaped by Those Who Can See It’.Details: 1-24 March, over 50 venues. Free and Ticketed.
Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe (WA)Catch the 20th anniversary edition of Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe.Details: 1-18 March, Cottesloe (Perth). Free.
Installation view of ‘Vincent Namatjira: Australia in Colour’ survey show, part of Tarnanthi 2023. Presented by Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA). Photo: Saul Steed, courtesy AGSA.
Vincent Namitjira: Australia in Colour (ACT)Showcasing Western Aranda artist Vincent Namatjira’s artistic practice, this major exhibition brings together paintings, works on paper and moving images from public and private collections nationwide. Read ArtsHub’s review.Details: 2 March – 21 July, National Gallery of Australia (NGA). Free.
Jumaadi/Sancintya Mohini Simpson/Arthur Boyd + Indra Deigan (NSW)Three major projects focused on migration, the diasporic experience and storytelling. A survey exhibition by Indonesian artist Jumaadi, an installation by artist Sancintya Mohini Simpson (a descendent of indentured sugar plantation labourers sent from India) and Arthur Boyd and West Javanese printmaker Indra Deigan’s handmade book of collagraphs and etchings.Details: 2 March – 16 June, Bundanon. Ticketed.
24th Biennale of Sydney (NSW)With the theme ‘Ten Thousand Suns’, this year’s Biennale of Sydney dives into different connected threads, curated by Artistic Directors Cosmin Costinaş and Inti Guerrero.Details: 9 March – 10 June, multiple venues Sydney. Free.Vernissage 6-8 March.
Ralph Heimans: Portraiture. Power. Influence (ACT)Sought the world over, Ralph Heimans: Portraiture. Power. Influence. is the first major exhibition of the Sydney-born artist’s work in his home country.Details: 15 March – 27 May, National Portrait Gallery. Ticketed.
The Industrial Design of Clement Meadmore/SUPERsystems/Systems and Structures (Vic)Regarded as one of Australia’s most important sculptors of the 20th century, Clement Meadmore will be explored in a retrospective at TarraWarra Museum of Art, alongside new major works by contemporary Melbourne-based artists Peter Atkins and Dana Harris from the Harris/Atkins Collection in SUPERsystems, and a third show exploring geometry and patterns, Systems and Structures.Details: 23 March – 14 July, TarraWarra Museum of Art. Ticketed.
mudunama kundana wandaraba jarribirri: Judy Watson (Qld)Survey celebrating the renowned First Nations artist, Judy Watson and her career-long unpacking of colonial, feminist and ecological concerns. The exhibition’s title means ‘tomorrow the tree grows stronger’.Details: 23 March – 11 August, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane. Free.
‘Italian Renaissance Alive’ by Grand Experiences, coming to HOTA, Gold Coast. Image: Supplied.
Italian Renaissance Alive (Qld)Discover the immersive Italian Renaissance Alive by Grande Experiences. Details: 29 March – 4 August, HOTA, Home of the Arts, Gold Coast. Ticketed.
April
Nicholas Mangan (NSW)A World Undone is a major exhibition by Australian artist Nicholas Mangan – including works created over two decades by an artist pushing sculpture to new limits. Curated by the MCA’s Anneke Jaspers and Anna Davis.Detail: 5 April – 30 June, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA Australia). Free.
Archie Moore at the Venice Biennale (Italy)First Nations artist Archie Moore, and Curator Ellie Buttrose, go to Venice for Australia’s 25th edition, participating in the world’s most talked about international contemporary visual art event. Describing himself as a multidisciplinary artist, Moore (Kamilaroi/Bigambul) is only the second solo First Nations artist presented in the event’s 25-year history.Details: 20 April – 24 November, Venice. Ticketed.
Read: What Archie Moore says about heading to Venice Biennale
Look, look. Anna Park (WA)A major new figure in contemporary drawing, Anna Park will present her first international museum solo exhibition, titled Look, look. Anna Park at the Art Gallery of Western Australia this April. Curated by Rachel Ciesla.Details: 20 April – 8 September, AGWA. Free.
Jasmine Togo-Brisby/Miguel Aquilizan, Mia Boe and Sarah Poulgrain/Angela Su (Qld)A fourth-generation Australian-South Sea Islander, Jasmine Togo-Brisby examines the Pacific slave trade and its impact on those who trace their roots to Australia. And for IMA Platform – the new work of three emerging artists under 40, who were born, live or have lived in Queensland, and have not yet had a major solo exhibition in a public gallery – Miguel Aquilizan, Mia Boe and Sarah Poulgrain. And completing the season is The Miraculous Levitation Act of Lauren O (2022) from Hong Kong-based artist Angela Su, known for her drawings and films. Detail: 20 April – 18 June, Institute of Modern Art (IMA), Brisbane. Free.
Read: Must-see museum blockbusters in 2024
May
Hair Pieces (Vic)Hair Pieces explores the evocative and complex significance of hair in contemporary culture through a selection of recent Australian and international works of art.Details: 4 May – 6 October, Heide Museum of Modern Art. Museum Admission.
June
National Photographic Portrait Prize (ACT)Entering its 17th year, the National Photographic Portrait Prize (NPPP) is one of the National Portrait Gallery’s most popular annual events.Details: 2 June – 13 October, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra. Ticketed.
Plaque of Amenemhat IV, probably Byblos, Lebanon 12th Dynasty, reign of Amenemhat IV, about 1808-1799 BC, gold H 2.9 cm, W 3.1 cm, D 0.1 cm. Image: © The Trustees of the British Museum.
Pharaoh (Vic)A major blockbuster exhibition, Pharaoh, will bring 3000 years of ancient Egyptian art and visual culture through more than 500 works on loan from the British Museum to NGV International for the 2024 Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition.Details: 14 June – 16 October, NGV International, Melbourne. Ticketed.
Namedropping (Tas)Namedropping will see Mona’s curators zero in on the evolved, biological underpinnings of status – “what is it for and why is it useful?” Artists include Pablo Picasso, Barbara Kruger, Danh Võ, Tino Seghal, David Bowie, Ai Weiwei, Tania Bruguera, Jenny Holzer, Chopper Read and Vincent Namatjira.Details: 15 June 2024 – 21 April 2025, Museum of Old and New Art (Mona), Hobart. Included in museum entry.
Paul Gauguin, ‘Femmes de Tahiti’ 1891, oil on canvas. Don Countess Vitali, 1923. Image: © Musée d’Orsay, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais/Patrice Schmidt.
Gauguin’s World: Tōna Iho, Tōna Ao (ACT)An Australian-first exhibition of French Post-Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin (1848–1903) provides a unique opportunity to see over 140 of his iconic works of art at the National Gallery in Canberra.Details: 29 June – 7 October, NGA. Ticketed.
Read: Do we want Gauguin back?
Duty of Care (Qld)In the art world and beyond, “care” is a buzzword, being used to reset policy and practice. But care is an elastic notion, as this exhibition explores. Curated by Stephanie Berlangieri, Angela Goddard and Robert Leonard.Details: 29 June – 22 September, IMA. Free.
Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses (Qld)Following this exhibition’s season in Paris, QAGOMA will present the Australian exclusive for Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses, offering a sensory exploration of the pioneering Dutch designer’s multidisciplinary practice. Curated by Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.Details: 29 June – 7 October , Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane. Ticketed.
