Image above: Cao Fei , RMB City The Fashions of China Tracy 01
2025 gallery visits, summaries and images
Exhibitions list
Friday 12 December 2025 Data Dreams: Contemporary Art in the Age of AI, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
Immersive installations – difficult to capture images to do justice to the experience “considers artificial intelligence and its impact on contemporary life through the work of 10 visionary artists”
Trevor Paglen, Shadow (Corpus: Things that Exist Negatively) Adversarially Evolved Hallucination, 2017
Trevor Paglen, False Teeth (Corpus: Things that Exist Negatively) Adversarially Evolved Hallucination, 2017
Agnleszka Kurant, Nonorganic Life 6, 2025
Anicka Yi, Floating Points, 2025
Friday 28 November 2025 Australian Abstraction, Macquarie University Art Gallery, Sydney
Another impressive survey – the “exhibition series continues its exploration of the evolving nature of abstraction within the Australian context. This second stage retraces the diversity, episodic developments, and layered narratives that have shaped abstraction as an enduring force in Australian art.”
Ana Pollack, Traces, 2021
Sophie Cape, Plunged in the foaming brine, 2022
Aida Tomescu, Adele, 2025
Kyle Murrell, Effigy, 2024
Thursday 13 November 2025 Mike Hewson: The Key’s Under the Mat, Art Gallery NSW, Sydney
Art creating mayhem – children swinging off every piece in the show – felt like being trapped in Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s, Children’s Games, 1560. “Renowned for award-winning public projects that are at once artworks, play areas, and places to be, Hewson has reimagined the Tank as a combined park, playground, construction site, and commons – an anarchic and generous sculptural neighbourhood where visitors can meet, dwell, play, make, perform, explore and more.”
Installation views
Friday 24 October 2025 Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi to Tamarama, Sydney
Another superb year despite the funding woes “now in its 27th year, 93 artworks from artists from 13 countries, 36 first time exhibitors.”
Michael Sibel (Victoria), Three Thoughts, Clouds
Philip Spelman (NSW), Cyan Forest
Ron Robertson-Swann, (NSW), Haven
James Rogers (NSW), Siren’s Song (Winner)
Thursday 16 October 2025 Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890–1940, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney Light, colour, life, and still dangerous – the exhibition “reclaims the place of these pivotal Australian women artists, recognising their contribution to the development of European art – expands our understanding of modern art movements, including realism, impressionism, post-impressionism, cubism and abstraction. The works in this show challenge preexisting notions of ambition and success, and explore colour, light, form and movement.”
Florence Fuller, Inseparables, c1900
Iso Rae, Les acheteuses (The buyers) c1913
Ethel Carrick, A market in Kairouan, c1919-20
Dorrit Black, Sicilian mountain, 1928
Wednesday 8 October 2025 Tender Comrade, White Rabbit Gallery, Sydney
Always challenging exhibitions at this gallery this one no exception. “Everything that can be troubling in affection, tenderness, friendship, fidelity, camaraderie and companionship” connects the artists in Tender Comrade. Straight, queer or undisclosed — together, they create an exhibition that breaks all the rules defining who we are and how we are perceived.”
Qi Wenzhang, Untitled (Sweet Dream), 2019
Zhu Zi, Chongqing Lake, 2022
Zhu Zi, Beijing Park, 2022
Shang Liang, Boxing Man No.4, 2019
Friday 26 September 2025 Kaldor Public Art Project 38: Thomas Demand: The Object Lesson, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
Good to meet up with some long-lost friends from the collection “German artist Thomas Demand creates an extraordinary exhibition space specifically designed to display the John Kaldor Family Collection in a whole new light. The project features renowned artists from the Kaldor Collection of over 200 works.”
Robert Rauschenberg, Yellow visor glut,1989
Josh Smith, Untitled (JSC11001), 2011
Frank Stella, Untitled, 1965
Eduardo Paolozzi, Paris Bird, 1948-49
Friday 19 September 2025 Postcards from China: An Artistic Odyssey, China Cultural Centre, Sydney Magnificent watercolours “showcases over 40 artworks by 10 artists, with 5 artists from the Australian Watercolour Institute and 5 from China’s Guangxi Arts University”
Wu Jianyin, Houses on the Slope, watercolour
Chen Liang, Diary of Dong Village Life, No, 1, watercolour
Chen Liang, Diary of Dong Village Life, No. 5, watercolour
Neil Taylor, At the Feet of Huang Shan, acrylic and watercolour
Friday 5 September 2025 Classics from the Golden Age of Utopia, S H Ervin Gallery, Sydney
Colour, rhythm – country “showcases the explosion of talent that emerged from Utopia at the end of the 20th century. major paintings that were revolutionary at the time.”
Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Untitled, 1994
Gloria Petyarre, Leaves in the wind, 1999
Angelina Pwerle, Untitled, 1994
Installation view
Thursday 28 August 2025 Juanita McLauchlan: Yilaa Minyaminyabal Maaru-ma-lda-y (Soon Everything Will Be Healing), Contemporary Projects Series, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
Emotive, resonates “New works exploring the ties that bind us across time and space. Wagga Wagga–based Gamilaraay artist Juanita McLauchlan recognises the constellations above us, and the everyday pillars of family and community, as anchors we all have in common. In her first state art museum exhibition, McLauchlan presents an ambitious new body of work that draws upon the intimacy of personal belongings and body adornments. Using domestic fabrics such as vintage blankets as a base, she works with leaves, animal pelts and other organic materials to print, eco-dye and embroider, creating works that aren’t constrained to a flat wall mounting, but are suspended in space.” Some installation views.
Thursday 21 August 2025 Janet Dawson: Faraway, So Close, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
Evocative key works. “Throughout a distinguished career spanning over six decades of practice, she remains an artist who has refused to be bound by rules. A pioneer of both abstraction and realism in Australian art, Dawson sees no contradiction in working between diverse stylistic and aesthetic realms. Consistent to her art is a sense of curiosity about material existence and states of the natural world.”
Janet Dawson, Rollascape 2, 1968
Janet Dawson, Crystal, 1968
Janet Dawson, Wall 5, 1969
Janet Dawson, The moon and Pepper’s ghost, 1979
Saturday 9 August 2025, Curlew Camp, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney
Many interpretations – sense of place “The historic Curlew artists’ camp at Sirius Cove was the base for significant Australian painters such as Tom Roberts and Arthur Streeton, who helped foster a new ‘Australian style’ in the years leading to Federation. The exhibition features paintings from the period, as well as newly commissioned artworks by artists responding to the site, its artistic heritage and the paintings made there.”
Arthur Streeton, Sirius Cove, 1897
John Olsen, The Rolling Sea – and that Streeton painting, 2014
Tom Roberts, Mosman Bay, 1894
Thea Anamara Perkins, To Know You Is To Love You, 2025
Wednesday 23 July 2025 Salon des Refusés, S H Ervin Gallery, Sydney
Wide range of artists and every technique imaginable – always an interesting selection of works “works selected for quality, diversity, humour and experimentation, and which examine contemporary art practices, different approaches to portraiture and responses to the landscape.”
Tony Costa Portrait of a gum, Audley
Mary Tonkin, Turmoil, Kalorama 2025
Sharon Billinge, Carole Ann King
Evan Salmon, Self-portrait in the studio
Friday 11 July 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Maritime Museum, Sydney
Another year of exceptional images of what is left of the natural world “This year’s competition attracted an astounding 59,228 entries from 117 countries, celebrating the very best in nature photography. From mesmerising animal behaviour to breathtaking landscapes and powerful photojournalism, each image is a testament to the artistry, patience, and dedication of photographers from around the world. Featuring 100 stunning images across multiple categories, including Animals in Their Environment, Underwater, and Photojournalism”
Food Fight, Yorkshire Dales National Park, England, UK – Vince Maidens
The Unlucky Mouse, Pavlovskiy Park, Saint Petersburg, Russia – Darya Ostapenko
The Swarm of Life, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada – Shane Gross
Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA – Larry Taylor
Thursday 3 July 2025 Yolŋu power: the art of Yirrkala, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
Deep, meaningful –people and country “showcases the extraordinary artists of Yirrkala in north-east Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, and the power of their art from the 1940s to the present. The exhibition considers the significant moments in Yirrkala’s history when artists have consciously altered their practice, developed new styles or embraced new mediums. In covering multiple generations, the exhibition highlights familial connections and cultural continuation.”
Yalmakany Marawili, Meditjin ga Borum, 2024
Nayapanyapa Yunupinu, Wild Apple Orchard; Hunting stingray at Biranybiray, 2008
Nawurapu Wunuŋmurra, Mokuy spirits, 2015
Mathaman Marika, The morning star dance -Banumbirr ceremony c1959
Friday 27 June 2025 Cerith Wyn Evans …. in light of the visible, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
Mesmerizing abstract expressionist sculpture – drawing with light. “Epic contemporary environments – large-scale three-dimensional ‘drawings in space’ using neon light”.
Some installation views.
Thursday 19 June 2025 Contemporary Australian Photography, Contemporary Projects gallery, Art Gallery NSW, Sydney
Small focused exhibition, time to reflect – works from the collection. “Explores the personal, unseen and unfamiliar. Brimming with tenderness, melancholy and haunting beauty, this display honours our connections to the past, people, places and identity.”
Hoda Afshar, from the series Speak the Wind 2015-20
Hoda Afshar, from the series Speak the Wind 2015-20
Shan Turner-Carroll, from the series Edge of the Garden 2020
Shan Turner-Carroll, from the series Edge of the Garden 2020
Thursday 12 June 2025 Emma Hicks and Merindah Funnell, Echoes of Light: Our Connection Through Waterways, Art Space on the Concourse, Chatswood, Sydney
Colour, light, authentic “A First Nations exhibition focusing on the deep connections between culture, Country and water. An exhibition by friends and collaborators Emma Hicks and Merindah Funnell, presenting a series of mixed media works that highlight interwoven stories shaped by water and time immemorial and are deeply connected to Country.”
floating in the canopy, 2025, cyanotype sunprint, water-based copper paint, beads
Country, 2025, cotton rag print using ultra chrome in, archival board, copper paint
Sandstone, 2025, cotton rag print using ultra chrome in, archival board, copper paint
Dusk, 2025, water-based paint on canvas
Friday 6 June 2025 Kyle Murrell: Always at Every Moment, Defiance Gallery, Sydney
Gestural abstraction with tonal grit. “Weight of presence. His comprehension of the world as a field of forms, voids and energies.”
Kyle Murrell,Symphony
Kyle Murrell,Scapegoat
Kyle Murrell,Afterlight, Landmark
Kyle Murrell,Fold line
Thursday 29 May 2025 The Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes 2025, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
Annual round-up, wide range: the good, the safe, the brilliant, the inexplicably creative.
Julie Fragar, Flagship Mother Multiverse (Justene) (Winner Archibald Prize)
Jude Rae, Pre-dawn sky over Botany container terminal (winner Wynne Prize)
Sylvia Ken, Seven Sisters
Gene A’Hern, Sky painting (winner Sulman Prize)
Friday 9 May 2025 Sandra Blackburne – Rivers, Art Space on the Concourse, Chatswood, Sydney
Air, light, time, and place – authentic “paintings that are inspired by the beauty and fragility of nature, but also its power. Inspired by a series of trips made in 2022, 2023, and 2024 to Corongoro Creek (NSW) and the Mossman and Hodgkinson rivers in North and Western Queensland.”
Sandra Blackburne, River of Dreams, Mount Mulligan
Sandra Blackburne, Flooded Forest, Yamba
Sandra Blackburne, Heron
Sandra Blackburne, The Lesson (Early morning along the Dumaresq River)
Friday 2 May 2025 Dobell Drawing Prize, National Art School Gallery, Sydney
Drawing the essential element of art. “Australia’s leading prize for drawing, and an unparalleled celebration of technique, innovation and expanded practice. This biennial exhibition continues to highlight the enduring relevance and changing role of drawing within contemporary art practice. This 24th edition showcases the work of 56 finalists, selected from 965 nationwide entries.”
Rosemary Lee, 24-1, 2024 (winner)
Brian Martin, Methexical Countryscape Gadubanud 2, 2024
Martin King, where did we begin, where are we now, where are we going, 2024
Jane Lander, Blownaway, 2024
Friday 11 April 2025 In Suburbia: Recent Detours, S H Ervin Gallery, Sydney
Captures the everyday storied stillness of structures – once scorned now beloved suburban homes – some with reassuring classic topiary in the front yard. “Features the work of 19 contemporary artists from across the country who probe, celebrate and question the notion of the great Australian dream.”
Rachel Ellis, Autumn, round from the Hub, Bathurst, 2020
David Wadelton, Braybrook, 2017
Craig Handley, Council clean-up #4, 2013
Nick Santoro, Bobby’s Realm, 2021
Friday 21 March 2025 Mitch Cairns: Restless Legs, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
Low-key calm abstraction – far from the maddening city crowds. “The disparate body of work on display is informed by Cairns’ literary interests and influences, his inner-city locale and the humour and pathos of daily life.”
Mitch Cairns, Self-portrait as a pair of restless legs, 2024
Mitch Cairns, Life-like, 2024
Mitch Cairns, Streamlet, 2024
Mitch Cairns, CPT (after John Bloomfield), 2024
Friday 7 March 2025 The Intelligence of Painting, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
Subtle, thoughtful, interesting range of works “throws a spotlight on the energy of contemporary painting in Australia today through the work of 14 Australian women artists. Responds to the MCA’s commitment to be a platform for living artists and the Museum’s privileged role in showcasing their art.”
Jude Rae, SL508, 2024
Eleanor Louise Butt, Within the Garden (Autumn Painting 2), 2022
Nyapanyapa Yunupinu, Djulpan, 2021
Karen Black, Mountain High, 2024
Thursday 20 February 2025 Peter Godwin: Space Light and Time, S H Ervin Gallery, Sydney
Subtle refined gestural line, colour abstraction, calligraphic. “The exhibition focuses on Godwin’s prints and paintings from 2000-2025, in which he has honed a distinctive, painterly language that immerses us in new worlds. He renders these economically in thin layers of tempera, oils and printing inks.”
Peter Godwin, Night Window, 2002
Peter Godwin, Large Studio Study with Canvas, 2011
Peter Godwin, Paris Apartment, 2017
Peter Godwin, Mountains, White Horse, Li River, 2014-2015
Wednesday 12 February 2025 Ocean Photographer of the Year, Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney
Mesmerizing, calming, but confronting what is being lost. “Featuring 118 extraordinary images, this exhibition celebrates the vision of talented photographers from around the world. From breathtaking wildlife encounters and underwater vistas to compelling scenes of human connection with the ocean, each photograph tells a powerful story.” A small sample.
Henley Spiers, Baja California Sur, Mexico – juvenile Munk’s devil rays
Pietro Formis, Philippines – A juvenile African pompano
Rafael Fernandez Caballero, Baja California Sur, Mexico – A Bryde’s whale takes a bite
Romeo Bodolai, Myanmar – A fisherman uses a traditional fishing technique in Myanmar
Thursday 30 January 2025 Shape Shifters – A Retrospective of Australian Collage, Wollongong Art Gallery, Wollongong
Marvellous eclectic mix of works “Many artists, beginning in the early twentieth century, have manipulated their images with adjuncts to do many things: to correct drawings, to play with composition, to decorate, and to make social and political comment. Shape Shifters examines how re-purposed materials, concepts and subjects have evolved within an Australian context. Works in fabric, paper, moving images, and found or domestic objects are exhibited in a celebration of this thrilling and accessible art form.” Some of the works:
Paul Higgs, Hurstville platform wall, 2020
Robert Grieve, Ukiyo-e theme no. 2, 1965
Suzanne Archer, Private grounds, 1967
Garry Shead, Studio, 1967
Friday 17 January 2025 XSWL, White Rabbit Gallery, Sydney
Futurist surrealist fine art. “China’s digital age is a vibrant playground where memes, virtual WeChat stickers, puns, and jokes are used to bypass censorship and address politically sensitive topics. To keep up in this rapid-fire environment, phrases are often condensed into acronyms. Chinese internet slang XSWL, short for “xiào sǐ wǒle”, means “laughing to death.” It echoes the English “LOL” but with a twist; when viewed more literally, it suggests that light-hearted fun might mask darker games at play.” Small sample of the works.
Zhong Zhaoying, The Tiger, 2018
Zhong Zhaoying, A Well-being journey, 2018
Liu Zhan, United Manufacture, 2022
Liu Zhan – installation view
Friday 10 January 2025 Cao Fei: My City is Yours, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
Urban social realism, utopia on the edge and into the metaverse. Cao Fei “has documented China’s rapid urbanisation and digital revolutions for over two decades. Her acclaimed films, photography and large-scale installations offer thrilling encounters with the disorienting, quick-fire transformations of the new millennium. My City is Yours is an invitation into a world of neon, street dance and pop music; a city both familiar and warped, real and virtual.” Some video stills and installation views.
Cao Fei , RMB City The Fashions of China Tracy 01
Cao Fei – installation view
Cao Fei – installation view
Cao Fei – installation view
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