Looking for a dose of creativity or a fresh perspective on modern art? This December and January, explore some of the top upcoming art exhibitions at iconic galleries across Australia. From Sydney and Melbourne to Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Canberra, and the Gold Coast, there’s incredible art being showcased nationwide.
Upcoming art exhibition in NSW
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890–1940
11 October 2025 – 15 February 2026
Step into the vibrant world of Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890–1940. Dangerously Modern is an exhibition that transports visitors to a time when Australian women broke boundaries across the art capitals of Europe.
Presenting rediscovered paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, and ceramics, the exhibition reveals how these women brought fresh, daring ideas back to Australia. Their stories of courage and artistic revolution are inspirational, highlighting where travel and creativity intertwined to reshape a nation’s cultural identity.
Upcoming art exhibition in Western Australia
Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts
Vádyé Eshgh وادی عشق (Valley of Love)
17 October 2025 – 21 December 2025
Vádyé Eshgh وادی عشق (Valley of Love) takes visitors on a sensory journey through identity, spirituality, and belonging. The immersive installation fuses film and mural to explore exile, faith, and divine love.
Artist Khashayar Salmanzadeh and the Collective draw on Persian and South Asian visual traditions rich in symbolism and complexity. Their work intertwines ancient motifs with modern stories of movement, sacrifice, and renewal.
This evocative installation reflects on spirituality and displacement with depth and speaks to remembrance, grief, and the redemptive force of divine love.
Upcoming art exhibition in South Australia
The Art Gallery of South Australia
Too Deadly: Ten Years of Tarnanthi
17 October 2025 – 18 January 2026
Too Deadly: Ten Years of Tarnanthi brings together more than 200 remarkable works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. Each piece celebrates a decade of upholding creativity and cultural expression.
The exhibition revisits key works from past Tarnanthi Festivals and presents them in new ways. New insights and unexpected dialogues reveal powerful connections to other works across time, place, and story.
Upcoming art exhibition in Queensland
Home of the Arts (HOTA)
Hota Collects: Metamorphosis
Saturday 30 August 2025 – Sunday 11 January 2026
Metamorphosis showcases over thirty Australian artists from the HOTA Collection who experiment with these dynamic techniques. Their creations reflect shifting ideas of identity, memory, and how we perceive change.
Through collage and photomontage, artists transform familiar images to explore feminism, the environment, and the relationship between self and place. Each work invites viewers to see the world anew.
Upcoming art exhibition in Victoria
Australian Galleries – Melbourne
Henri Matisse and Robert Motherwell
18 November 2025 – 21 December 2025
Australian Galleries in Melbourne presents work from two world-renowned artists, Henri Matisse and Robert Motherwell. The exhibition runs from 18 November to 21 December 2025.
Bringing together vibrant prints and drawings, the exhibition celebrates both artists’ shared passion for abstraction and expressive form.
Visitors can experience Matisse’s stark colours alongside Motherwell’s bold gestures in an intimate gallery setting. It’s a must-see for lovers of modern art in the heart of Melbourne.
Upcoming art exhibition in Tasmania
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG)
Hobart Current: Here
14 November 2025 – 26 April 2026
The third edition of the biennial contemporary art programme Hobart Current explores the theme ‘Here’. Artists respond through diverse creative practices, from installation and performance to sound and sculpture.
Each work reflects what it means to belong, to notice, and to be present in a place. The exhibition invites viewers to experience ‘here’ as both a location and a feeling.
This year’s artists—Marion Abraham, Jodi Haines, Andy Hutson, Jade Irvine, Jenni Large, Sara Morawetz, Jonny Scholes, Mary Scott, Dylan Sheridan, and Peter Waller—are all based in Lutruwita/Tasmania.
Upcoming art exhibition in the Australian Capital
The National Gallery of Australia
Richard Lewer’s Steve
29 November 2025 – 12 July 2026
Steve, by artist Richard Lewer, offers a tender look at a family navigating the challenges of a dementia diagnosis.
An animated film made from thousands of paintings follows Steve and his family as they face change together. Each frame reflects the impact of his illness as well as the beauty and fragility of everyday life.
Alongside the film, Lewer’s paintings of memories from his life appear on tabletops, with tables as important symbols. Around these tables, meals are shared, bills are paid, and moments of joy and sorrow intertwine.
If you enjoyed this story on upcoming, check out our story on 9 Indigenous art galleries of Australia.