Cooler temperatures are the perfect motivation to hit the museums. Fortunately, when it comes to interesting exhibitions in Australia to check out, we’re spoilt for choice – particularly this autumn and winter.
Our country offers exhibitions on ancient and present cultures, the lives of experts in certain fields and themes questioning how we live and what we take for granted.
We’ve combed through the exhibitions in Australia this autumn and winter ‘24 to pick the highlights. From an exhibition in Sydney, showing unseen photos of Princess Diana, to another in Hobart exploring the concept of status and how it can help and hinder us, this is our edit of the best exhibitions in Australia to catch over the next few months.
Princess Diana: Accredited Access Exhibition
After a successful run in Melbourne, Princess Diana: Accredited Access Exhibition opened in Ultimo, Sydney on April 10. The exhibition tells the story of the People’s Princess through the lens of her Official Royal Photographer, Anwar Hussein, who worked with the Royal Family for over 40 years.
Hussein and his sons Samir and Zak share their first-hand account of interacting with Princess Diana and her family through an audio guide. The exhibition also features art installations created by multimedia artist Pauline Loctin. After Sydney, the exhibition will hit Brisbane and Perth.
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a joint exhibition with the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) and the British Museum. It’s at the NGV from June 14, 2024 to October 6, 2024. The exhibition celebrates 3,000 years of Egyptian art and culture through more than 500 works, including sculptures, jewellery and coffins.
It’s split into seven thematic sections that explore the pharaoh’s roles and duties. The leaders protected Egypt against its enemies and ensured universal order.
Africa Fashion
Another NGV exhibition is Africa Fashion, which runs from May 31 to October 6, 2024 on the museum’s third floor. It features over 200 works of fashion, textiles, adornment, photography, music and film.
Developed by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and presented in partnership with the NGV, the exhibition is the largest showing of fashions from this region in an Australian art institution to date. More than 50 designers and artists from 20 African countries are represented.
Namedropping
Namedropping will run at the Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart, Tasmania from June 15, 2024 to April 21, 2025. The exhibition delves into the topic of status and why it’s useful. It questions why we’re drawn to certain objects and people, and what makes names like Porsche, Picasso and Pompidou notable.
It also offers a possible explanation of essentialism, which is the sense that things and people have an essence, spirit or soul that transcends their material state. The annual Mona Gala, held on Friday, February 14, will give its attendees a preview of the exhibition.
Valerie Taylor: An Underwater Life
Valerie Taylor has been sharing her knowledge of our oceans and their animals for over 60 years, advocating for better protection. Valerie Taylor: An Underwater Life at the Maritime Museum in Sydney is a call to action for all potential ocean changemakers.
The exhibition tells Taylor’s story through objects and images. Highlights include Taylor’s cameras and underwater housings, her dive suits and fins and a stainless-steel chainmail suit she wore to get up close with sharks.
Seeds and Sovereignty
Queensland Art Gallery’s (QAGOMA) Seeds and Sovereignty free-to-enter exhibition started March 2 and runs until August 18, 2024. It showcases works from the gallery’s Indigenous Australian Art Collection that celebrates the interconnected relationships between plants, people and Country.
The works chosen are thematically responsive to the works of researchers who challenged accepted histories and beliefs around the lifestyles of pre-colonial Indigenous people.
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