Ten art exhibitions to see in 2023

There’s no greater feeling for the art obsessed than seeing a cherished, iconic artwork in person.

It’s a pilgrimage that stirs powerful emotions. Getting up close to observe the brushstrokes or the trace of the maker is a moving experience, as is noticing how the light dances on the manipulated surfaces as you travel through the room. It can inspire, delight and challenge. Educate and enlighten.

We love spending time in galleries, whether we carve out time to head to the big smoke for a particular show or pop into a space on a whim because we’ve glimpsed something amazing through the front window. It’s a form of therapy for us and as nutritious as the most wholesome meal you could whip up!

With keen gallery-goers in mind, we’ve compiled a list of exciting exhibitions to see in 2023. The selection focuses on key art events offered by large cultural institutions across Australia, but it’s not definitive. Of course, we also support smaller galleries and artist-run initiatives and will continue to draw attention to them as 2023 rolls through and exhibitions are announced. We share that love on the pages of this Journal, our newsletters and Instagram account, so follow along to stay informed.

Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Anmatyerre people, Ntange Dreaming, 1989, purchased 1989 © Emily Kame Kngwarreye/Copyright Agency

1. Emily Kame Kngwarreye

The National Gallery, Canberra
2 December 2023 – 28 April 2024

Emily Kame Kngwarreye (1910–1996) was an Anmatyerre woman and artist from the Utopia community in the Northern Territory. She began painting later in her life, producing over 3000 works during her eight-year career. Emily Kame Kngwarreye is an extensive survey of the artist’s work drawn from international, national and private collections, encompassing paintings, textiles, sculptures, and works on paper. Emily remains one of Australia’s most significant contemporary artists.

Ken Done, Sydney Sunday (detail) 1982, oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas. Courtesy of the artis

2. Australiana: Designing a Nation

Bendigo Art Gallery, VIC
18 March – 25 June 2023

Australiana: Designing a Nation celebrates and interrogates the visual language of our national identity past and present, from First Nations connection to Country to playful remixes of popular culture and incisive reflections on nationalistic sentiment. Curated by and presented exclusively at Bendigo Art Gallery in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria, the exhibition showcases works by over 200 artists and designers, spanning a rich diversity of media, including photography, painting, illustration, furniture, jewellery, moving image and fashion.

3. Tarnanthi at AGSA

Art Gallery of South Australia, SA
20 Oct – 21 Jan 2024

Tarnanthi at AGSA presents an up-to-the-minute snapshot of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art from around the nation. The showcase includes the first survey exhibition of celebrated Western Aranda painter Vincent Namatjira – a satirical chronicler of Australian identity whose works offer a wry look at the politics of history and power from a contemporary Aboriginal perspective. An exciting program of talks, performances and workshops hosted by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, curators and thought leaders will be offered.

Artist Jeanie Napangardi Lewis. Image credit: Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation

4. Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair

The Darwin Convention Centre, NT
11–13 August 2023

The Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair is a jampacked week-long celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, design and culture held on Larrakia Country. The art exhibition at The Darwin Convention Centre is free to attend, and 100% of sales go directly back to support the artists and their communities. For those unable to make the journey to the top end, the online exhibition provides the opportunity to ethically purchase artwork directly from over 70 indigenous-owned Art Centres.

Milton Moon, Australia, 1926 - 2019, Fish pot, 1973-1975, Summertown, Adelaide Hills, stoneware, 20.9 x 20.2 cm (irreg); Bequest of Sylvia and Derek Duckhouse 2020, Art Gallery of South Australia, © Estate of Milton Moon.

5. Milton Moon: Crafting Modernism

Art Gallery of South Australia, SA
6 May – 6 Aug 2023

Heralded as a pioneer of the modernist approach to ceramics in Australia’s postwar period, Moon had an enormous impact on Australian art and craft throughout his career as an artist and educator. His pieces were a response to the elemental and textural depth of the Australian landscape, from the coast to the scorched centre. Milton Moon: Crafting modernism covers the distinguished potter’s sixty-year-long practice and contextualises his works into the broader story of Australian art.

Natasha Walsh Dear Brett (the blue room)

6. The National 4: Australian Art Now

Art Gallery of New South Wales, NSW
24 March – 23 July 2023

Campbelltown Arts Centre NSW
30 March – 25 June 2023

Carriageworks, NSW
30 March – 25 June 2023

Museum of Contemporary Art, NSW
31 March – 9 July 2023

The National is a biennial survey of contemporary Australian works produced by a diverse set of artists and art collectives. Presented concurrently at four of Sydney’s leading cultural institutions, the fourth edition of The National - The National 4 – brings together an ambitious and dynamic range of expressions, from complex, large-scale installations to miniature paintings. Shared themes in The National 4 include intergenerational learning, language and narrative, and the artist's role in the 21st century. Expect Brook Andrew, Brenda L. Croft, Reko Rennie, Heather B Swann and plenty more.

7. Danelle Bergstrom: Afterglow

Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, NSW
1 April to 11 June 2023

Australian-Swedish painter Danelle Bergstrom has exhibited regularly since 1980 and has been represented in the Portia Geach Memorial Award, the Doug Moran Portrait Prize, the Kedumba Drawing Prize, and the Archibald Prize. Afterglow is Bergstrom’s first career survey, presenting a selection of works that explore emotive Australian and Nordic landscapes and iconic Aussie personalities such as Margaret Olley, Jack Thompson, and Guy Warren.

8. Bunbury Biennale 2023: Culture/Nature

Bunbury Regional Art Gallery, WA.
2 April – 5 June 2023

Established in 1993, the Bunbury Biennale is a major West Australian contemporary art event that presents a cohesive survey of the state’s contemporary art scene. This year, 27 creatives have been invited to respond to the theme Culture/Nature, exploring the volatile relationship between humans and the environment across a breadth of artistic mediums. Included on the schedule are Perdita Phillips, Lori Pensini, Sherry Paddon, Paul Moncrieff, Rob Kettels and Sarah Keirle, amongst others.

View Across the Yarra 1931, Clarice Beckett

9. Clarice Beckett: Atmosphere

Geelong Gallery, VIC
1 April to 9 July 2023

Atmosphere presents critical works from Clarice Beckett’s oeuvre from 1919 to the early 1930s, highlighting her subtle and watery depictions of light, atmospheric climate, and bayside Melbourne. Providing a local context for this exhibition in Geelong are the paintings the artist produced in 1926 when she left her coastal home in Beaumaris to visit the Western District of Victoria. The extremes of the rustic rural environment inspired Beckett to create some of her most experimental work.

Morning Light, Elioth Gruner

10. Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes 2023

Art Gallery of New South Wales, NSW
6 May to 3 September 2023

It’s no secret that the Southern Wild Co team eagerly anticipates the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes at the AGNSW each year. The prestigious and historically significant art competition trio garners masses of media hype and draws in the gallery crowds. For over a century, the entries have reflected the evolving tone of our nation.

Don’t forget to check out the Young Archie portrait competition when you visit the AGNSW. We always walk away in complete awe at the raw talent bubbling up from the group of youngsters aged five to eighteen.