Descend down the escalators in the Art Gallery of NSW’s ultra-chic modern north building, and you’ll see an enormous octopus perched above the entrance to one of the most anticipated exhibitions of the Sydney summer – step inside a futuristic cyber cityscape with Cao Fei: My City is Yours. An unfurling of purple tentacles beckons you to step into the multidimensional world of this influential Chinese contemporary artist, and become totally immersed in playful and inventive multimedia installations.
Sydney’s best art galleries and top museums contain treasure troves of inspiration just waiting to be discovered. Better yet, these institutions are also cool places to beat the heat of a belting hot summer day, or hide away from nasty-looking storm clouds.
The city’s blockbuster summer exhibitions are continuing into February, and you have precious little time left to get over to the Art Gallery of NSW to explore the country’s first ever retrospective of surrealist pioneer Magritte (must close Feb 9) where you’ll get your fix of bowler hats, green apples, and eye-conography. In the building next door, you can also step into a different type of surreal journey with the interactive, cyber-futuristic, tentacle-filled world of Cao Fei: My City is Yours (until Apr 13) – which we confess, might just be our favourite exhibition of the summer!
If you like the sound of that, then you absolutely do not want to miss White Rabbit Gallery’s current exhibition, XSWL (’til May 18). Taking its name from the Chinese internet slang term for “laughing to death”, this exhibition features four floors of wild contemporary art where silly, harmless fun and jokes are deployed to bypass taboos and tackle politically sensitive topics.
There’s some artistic gems to uncover in Sydney’s West, too. Campbelltown Arts Centre presents Marikit Santiago: Proclaim Your Death! (‘til Mar 16) – a major solo exhibition from the Western Sydney-based Filipina-Australian artist, who won the prestigious La Prairie Art Award in 2024. Renowned for her refined oil paintings and use of reclaimed materials, Santiago invites viewers into an interactive gallery that challenges the Western art-historical canon. Meanwhile, you still have time to take a deep dive into the legend of the elusive Penrith Panther with Spot the Difference (’til Feb 18) at Penrith Regional Gallery, where a bunch of exciting artists have put their own spin on the city’s most enduring urban myth.
If you're out by Bondi Beach, you can also scout out a small but mighty showcase from artist Werner Bronkhorst – Wet (Feb 1–9) is composed of 38 striking textured paintings featuring hyper-realistic miniatures exploring wet environments.
Qtopia Sydney is unveiling a handful of colourful new exhibitions in time for Sydney Mardi Gras – including an exploration of a certain Aussie pop star’s deep bond with her LGBTQ+ fanbase in Kylie Minogue & Queer Devotion as well as a fabulous showcase of painstakingly crafted costumes from parades gone by in BE:DAZZLED Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Costume Extravaganza (and there’s never been a more pertinent time to familiarise yourself with our queer herstory). Meanwhile, you can suss out work from some of the most talented LGBTQIA+ artists working in Sydney today at In Full Bloom: A Queer Art Exhibition over at Our Neon Foe studios in Leichhardt (Feb 20-23). But, blink and you'll miss it!
Are you more in the mood for some ancient history? Well, the Australian Museum just extended its glittering major exhibition Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru (‘til May 11), so prepare yourself for a journey into the “lost city” of the Amazon.
Better yet, all of the above is just the tip of the iceberg. Read on for the coolest exhibitions to have a gander at.
