Ken Whisson: exhibition review
Ken Whisson’s current show at Niagara Galleries has been reviewed in the latest Art Beat, Melbourne by Dr Christopher Heathcote.
The review can be accessed here.
Day: 2 May 2026
Noel McKenna: ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
Congratulations Noel McKenna, finalist in the 2026 Wynne & Sulman Prizes. McKenna’s paintings entitled The Street Where I Live (Wynne Prize finalist) and Handmade cotton shirt (deuce) (Sulman Prize finalist) will be shown in the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes 2026 exhibition, both at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, opening 9 May.
In addition, John Brack x Noel McKenna at the National Portrait Gallery is now open. John Brack x Noel McKenna brings together the work of two influential Australian artists in a beautifully curated exhibition that Jo Pickup for ArtsHub described as “a masterstroke in design and vision, and a deeply-felt exploration of these two artists’ work”. Read Pickup’s review in full here and abc news’ coverage here.
Noel McKenna’s work also features in the exhibition Iconic Loved Unexpected, currently showing at Newcastle Art Gallery.
Iconic Loved Unexpected
Newcastle Art Gallery, Newcastle, NSW
until 23 May 2026
John Brack x Noel McKenna
National Portrait Gallery, Canberra
until 19 July 2026
Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes 2026
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
9 May – 16 August 2026
Brenda L Croft: ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
Congratulations Brenda L. Croft, finalist in The National Photographic Portrait Prize 2026. An exhibition of the finalists’ works will be held from 22 August to 11 October 2026 at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra before touring nationally.
FUTURE COUNTRY: Country Road + NGV First Nations Commissions exhibition, in which emerging First Nations artists and designers are paired with established Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creatives, is now open. As part of the national mentorship program, Brenda L. Croft mentored Paul Girrawah House. Read more about the program in the latest edition of NGV Magazine and watch Croft and House discuss the program and their work here.
FUTURE COUNTRY: Country Road + NGV First Nations Commissions
The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Fed Square, Melbourne
Level 3, First Nations Art
until 13 September 2026
The National Photographic Portrait Prize 2026
National Portrait Gallery, Canberra
22 August – 11 October 2026
Julie Dowling: ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
Julie Dowling, Fiona Foley and Dianne Jones feature in the current exhibition I AM: Aboriginal art from the State Art Collection at Art Gallery of WA. Curator of Indigenous Art Carly Lane notes that “I AM is an exhibition about identity and personhood. How we know ourselves, how we make sense of the world around us, and how we navigate the two is the overarching theme of the show”. Further details below.
Julie Dowling’s work also features in the exhibition Nyini Woka (My Place) at Shepparton Art Museum. The exhibition brings together artworks from the Carrillo and Ziyin Gantner Indigenous Art Collection and recent works by contemporary Yorta Yorta artists. Spanning an array of creative practices and stories from across the vast continent, Nyini Woka (My Place) explores what it means to be here, today, on Yorta Yorta Country and beyond.
In addition, a monoprint by Julie Dowling features in the upcoming exhibition MOTHER at the National Gallery of Victoria. Traversing geographies, cultures and mediums, MOTHER presents diverse stories drawn from across the NGV Collection.
Nyini Woka (My Place): Featuring artworks from the Carrillo and Ziyin Gantner Collection of Australian Indigenous Art
Shepparton Art Museum, Shepparton, VIC
until 3 May 2026
MOTHER: stories from the NGV Collection
The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Fed Square, Melbourne
until 12 July 2026
I AM: Aboriginal art from the State Art Collection
Art Gallery of WA, Perth
current, with additional iterations in August 2026 & early 2027
ART GALLERY OF WA: Fiona Foley & Dianne Jones
Works by Fiona Foley and Dianne Jones feature alongside Julie Dowling’s painting in the exhibition I AM: Aboriginal art from the State Art Collection. Drawn from the State Art Collection, I AM brings together over 60 works by First Nations artists from across Australia and centres on personal and shared stories that elevate Aboriginal knowledge and perspectives on the world and our place in it. Read more in The Conversation here.
I AM: Aboriginal art from the State Art Collection
Art Gallery of WA, Perth
current, with additional iterations in August 2026 & early 2027
NEWCASTLE ART GALLERY: Noel McKenna, Savanhdary Vongpoothorn & Clarice Beckett
Newcastle Art Gallery has reopened after their landmark expansion with the exhibition Iconic Loved Unexpected. The exhibition features more than 7,000 works of art including examples by Noel McKenna, Savanhdary Vongpoothorn and Clarice Beckett.
Iconic Loved Unexpected
Newcastle Art Gallery, Newcastle, NSW
until 23 May 2026
