Art exhibitions to see in Sydney this week

Winter in Sydney can be pretty darn sparkly, with major thanks to Vivid – the annual multidisciplinary festival that lights up the city for a few weeks every year. One particularly glittery feature of the Vivid Sydney 2024 program is Lightscape – an immersive light show that is illuminating the Royal Botanic Garden until June 15. (Lightscape is a paid-entry event, and we reckon the ticket price is well worth it, but if you're looking for free things to do at Vivid, head over here.)Originally created by a group of artists more than a decade ago, Lightscape has transformed spaces around the world into sell-out immersive experiences. And though some Sydneysiders were up in arms about having to pay to access the Botanic Garden (generally a free-to-access public space) during last year's season, once you’ve experienced Lightscape in the flesh, you’ll understand the reasoning. As the sun begins to set over Sydney Harbour, you'll wander under larger-than-life flowers, and tree canopies will come alive with light. Follow the 1.8km illuminated trail as your surroundings morph from one luminous delight into another. Food and drinks are available to purchase along the route, or you can hold out and head to one of the many excellent restaurants that Circular Quay has to offer. Tickets start at $30 for adults ($18 for kids aged 3-12), and the entrance for Lightscape is located at the Queen Elizabeth II Gates, which are right next to the Sydney Opera House forecourt. You can book your tick

Are you ready to chase artistic escapades around the city? The Biennale of Sydney is back for its 24th edition from March 9 to June 10, 2024. Whether you’re a dedicated arts fanatic or a casual culture buff, you’ll find something to inspire and provoke you along this epic art trail. The largest contemporary art event of its kind in Australia, the Biennale is taking over six different locations with awe-inspiring installations and intriguing exhibitions. Titled Ten Thousand Suns, this year the festival explores a multiplicity of global cultures, taking on a transgressive spirit as it leans into the origins of Carnivale. As always, the Biennale is free for everyone to visit for a total of 16 weeks.   Of all the locations, White Bay Power Station is absolutely the main character of the Biennale’s 50th year anniversary (and 24th iteration – it takes place every second year). This is the first time the revitalised industrial site will officially open its doors to the public in more than 100 years – and what they’ve accomplished is pretty spectacular. Years of accumulated pigeon poop has been cleared out of the enormous factory spaces, making way for art installations that tower multiple storeys high, and more works hidden in various nooks and crannies. Pop-up bars and brand new bathrooms also set the stage for a packed program of live performances and music curated by Phoenix Central Park. Think of White Bay as a replacement for the role that Cockatoo Island has played in Sydney’s

We love Sydney, we really do. But that’s not to say that our beloved city isn’t without her flaws. With so many locals and tourists going in and out of the city every day, a lot of resources get used up. Energy, water and other commodities are becoming increasingly precious, so to keep our city functioning the best it can, none other than Sydney institution the Powerhouse Museum is specially re-opening its doors during Vivid Sydney. Yes – you read that correctly! The legendary Ultimo museum closed in February for an extensive three-year renovation period, however the Powerhouse has granted special permission for folks to be allowed back onto the premesis for this fascinating exhibition, dubbed A New Normal, inside the temporary Vivid hub. Led by urban leader, former Deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney and Time Out Future Shaper Jess Miller, this intriguing exhibition featuring prototypes, light displays and more concepts will be open to visit every night between 6pm and 10pm, for three weeks from May 24 – and it's totally free to visit.  Architects, designers, developers and tech specialists have banded together to produce an exhibition full of sustainable solutions for the city-slicking lifestyle. More than 20 brilliant concepts will be on display, including a beer made from recycled waste-water in partnership with Heaps Normal called ‘The Last Beer on Earth’; a coat hanger-eating robot; a bio-processor being built on Cockatoo Island to transform the massive amounts of bio waste (a

Just as Sydney (and the rest of the world) is in raptures about a doctored image released by Catherine the Princess of Wales, the Sydney dates for a very royal photograph exhibition have been announced. The exhibition documenting the life of Princess Diana will take to Sydney from Wednesday, April 10 until July 10 – and tickets go on sale soon.  Hot on the regal heels of sold-out tours in Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto and Puerto Rico, and a successful Aussie debut Melbourne, it's now Sydney's turn to spotlight Princess Diana's life, showcasing her version of events as told through the lens of her official royal photographer, Anwar Hussein.  Princess Diana: Accredited Access Exhibition will delve into the intimate relationship between a princess and a photographer, uncovering all sides of Diana. Accredited by the royal family, Anwar Hussein is famed for capturing the shifting perceptions of the Windsors through work that focuses on capturing the humanity of these aloof figures. His sons, Samir and Zak, have followed in their father's footsteps and won awards for their photographs of Diana's sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. Themes for the exhibition include The Photography Dark Room, Growing, Glam, Hats and Tiaras, Art Installations and Humanitarian and Unguarded. You can expect the showcase to whisk you on a journey with first-hand narration and images that transport you to a time and place where the people's princess reigned supreme.  Princess Diana: Accredited Access E

A borderline psychedelic, kaleidoscopic environment awaits you at this major solo exhibition by one of Australia's foremost contemporary artists, Dale Frank, presented across two floors at The National Art School gallery in Darlinghurst.  Growers and Showers (free to visit until June 1, 2024) is filled with bold colours, glossy abstract paintings, and highly experimental assemblages that play with unexpected surfaces like shattered glass, mirror, foam, human hair, CDs and foil ducting. (If you have an aversion to creepy clowns, proceed with caution.) Coloured lights, incense, and soundtrack personally picked by the artist himself (it’s Foreigner’s 1997 debut album, on rotation) further alter the atmosphere of the space, creating an immersive viewer experience that tests the boundaries of abstraction. Presenting 45 large-scale paintings, sculptures and installations created over the past decade – including nine never-before-exhibited works – this significant survey exhibition delves into Frank’s enduring commitment to experimentation and ongoing investigation into the potentiality of painting, alongside his multidisciplinary approach. Speaking with Katraina Cashman, Senior Curator of NAS Galleries, she explains that the artist's use of pop culture references and unconventional materials serve to challenge and stimulate the viewer's senses, eliciting a physical response that lingers long after the encounter. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Time Out Sy

Every Wednesday evening, the Art Gallery of NSW welcomes you into its hallowed halls and throws the ultimate in absolutely free mid-week social and cultural events. Until 10pm, Art After Hours offers a regular program of live music, lectures and celebrity talks, drawing workshops, film screenings, gallery tours and other events – and, of course, nocturnal access to its latest exhibitions.  The program is usually themed around the exhibitions currently showing at the gallery, and you can join guided tours around the gallery at 5.30pm. Plus, a free courtesy bus runs every 20 minutes from 7pm until closing from the gallery to various city locations that are all close to public transport – so, no matter where you need to go, they have you covered.  Head to Art After Hours to jazz up your Wednesday night, and to inject a liberal splash of arty delight into your week, and your life.  Want more high culture? Check out our list of the best art exhibitions on across Sydney right now.

Explore the hidden marvels of Sydney University's Chauk Chak Wing Museum, where a captivating retrospective of renowned Gomeroi/Gamilaraay photographer Barbara McGrady is currently on display. This new free photographic exhibition chronicles significant social, political and historical moments of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Sydney over the last 30 years. Hero images feature the Black Lives Matter protests in 2014, Ash Barty receiving a Dreamtime Award in 2017, the Koori Knockout, and the premiere of The Sapphires movie.  Barbara McGrady, or Aunty Barb as she is known in her community, is not only one of the first Aboriginal female photographers, but one of Australia’s most important documentary photographers. Her works celebrate the diverse contributions made by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and reveal an insider’s perspective into historical events, such as the death of TJ Hickey, and the Black Lives Matter protests.  Barbara McGrady: Australia Has a Black History puts a spotlight on these major political events of contemporary Aboriginal life, which are rarely portrayed positively by mainstream media. Other incredible works of McGrady’s included in the exhibition capture Indigenous performances, high-profile individuals, and community events including protests and social gatherings in and around Redfern.  “The chosen works for Barbara McGrady: Australia Has a Black History fall into three categories: sport, activism, and community,” sai

With a distinctive art style that probes at the veil between myth and reality, Western Sydney-based Filipina-Australian artist Marikit Santiago’s paintings are a love letter to her family and her culture. It’s not hard to see why Santiago has been named the winner of the 2024 La Prairie Art Award, and you can see her impressive work for yourself now at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Now in its third year, the prestigious La Prairie Art Award is all about championing Australian women artists. A partnership between the Art Gallery of NSW and Swiss luxury skincare house La Prairie, the prestigious award comprises the acquisition of artwork for the Art Gallery collection, as well as an international artist residency in Europe.  Santiago was selected for her two paintings ‘A Seat at the Table (Magulang)’ and ‘A Seat at the Table (Kapatid)’. These tender portraits portray two generations of Santiago’s family – her parents and her sister – with magulang translating to ‘parents’ and kapatid to ‘sibling’ in Tagalog. These award-winning paintings are on display as part of the Making Worlds exhibition on lower level 1 of the Art Gallery’s newer North Building (the star of the Sydney Modern expansion) until late July. (Hot tip: entry is free, and the gallery is open late on Wednesdays.) Encompassing new acquisitions and much-loved collection highlights, the Making Worlds exhibition brings together artists whose work reflects on the complex worlds we create and share, both real and i