SYDNEY.- From Hindu deities to outlaw heroes, from the comforts of home to the fragile beauty of nature, 2026 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales will be a year defined by energy: the energy of new generations, the energy that flows between people and place, and the energy of extraordinary artists across time and mediums.

Announced today, the 2026 program invites audiences to discover a realm of wonder, drama and divine beauty in Avatar: Forms of Vishnu, a landmark exhibition bringing together centuries of art and captivating storytelling from South and Southeast Asia celebrating Vishnu, the Hindu deity believed to preserve order in the universe, from 20 June to 5 October.

After welcoming the highest visitation in its history in 2025, Australia’s favourite annual art awards – the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes – return in May 2026. Winners will be announced on 8 May and on display to the public from 9 May to 16 August. Following the exhibition in Sydney, Archibald Prize 2026 finalists will tour to regional galleries across New South Wales and Victoria.

Journey through the landscapes and stories that transformed Australian art with Nolan: Origins, a major survey of Sidney Nolan’s formative years in Australia, on display from 3 October 2026 to 7 February 2027. From indelible visions of the outlaw Ned Kelly to epic portrayals of Central Australia, Nolan redefined perceptions of place and nation in Australia’s cultural imagination.

Nolan: Origins is the first of two major summer exhibitions to be held in 2026. An international blockbuster exhibition will be announced in early 2026.

Art Gallery of New South Wales director Maud Page said: ‘The Art Gallery’s 2026 exhibition program invites us to connect deeply with place, with each other, and with the extraordinary creativity that shapes our world. Audiences will experience everything from the transformative visions of Vishnu in Avatar to the sustaining power of this place in Sidney Nolan’s mythic outback, and the faces of our times in the Archibald Prize.

‘Young people are at the heart of this year’s program as we set things in motion with the much-loved Hive Festival, the boundless emerging talent of ARTEXPRESS 2026, and a glorious participatory project by Mechelle Bounpraseuth. And with Sydney Cinémathèque we open a bright new chapter in our engagement with an essential contemporary artform and its many audiences.’

In March, the Art Gallery’s long-running film program will relaunch as Sydney Cinémathèque, a dedicated space for the weekly celebration of cinema in Sydney, with expanded screenings, retrospectives and live events. Launch seasons to be announced in early 2026.

Opening 14 March, visitors of all ages are invited to gather, share and create in the children’s gallery, the joyful space created by artist Mechelle Bounpraseuth for the newly commissioned exhibition, ສູ້ສູ້ Sou Sou, featuring large-scale ceramic sculptures in a playful tribute to the foods that connect us to home and each other.

The Contemporary Projects series continues in 2026, highlighting the work of emerging and mid-career Australian artists, and will feature three artist projects by Nadia Hernández (March), Billy Bain (July) and a third artist co-curated with Artspace and selected from their Studio Program, to be announced next year.

Opening 7 February, Super Nature is an exhibition from the Art Gallery’s collection that charts the adventure of human immersion in nature. On 14 March, the Biennale of Sydney returns to the Art Gallery for its 25th edition, presenting Australian and international artists whose work engages with the idea of ‘rememory’. Featuring newly commissioned works at ambitious scales, Dobell Australian Drawing Biennial 2026 opens on 12 September, bringing together 11 artists from across Australia in an exploration of drawing’s intimate potential.

Following extensive building upgrades, the Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills will reopen in mid 2026, with the exhibition Chapters: 1970–79 that will showcase Whiteley at the height of his creative powers in the 1970s, including his 16-metre-wide autobiographical epic Alchemy 1972–73.