Time Out Sydney Arts & Culture Awards 2024: Best Museum Exhibition Nominees

Everyone's inner Egyptology buff was awoken when this record-breaking, Sydney-exclusive exhibition landed at the Australian Museum. An interactive museum experience more than 3,000 years in the making, Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs featured more than 180 priceless artefacts loaned by Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities. The most coveted of all was the actual sarcophagus of Ramses the Great, which is rarely permitted to leave Egypt. Featuring educational and culturally-sensitive curation, a custom virtual reality experience, and special after-dark visiting hours, this was the king of the summer museum scene. 

With the intent of showcasing the diversity of the Powerhouse’s archives, eccentric critic and Australian personality Leo Schofield and his committee might have just curated the most stunning and all-encompassing exhibition Sydney has ever seen. Watched over by a giant glammed-up Kewpie doll, there’s something to intrigue everyone across the 22 spaces within 1001 Remarkable Objects – from film buffs to porcelain collectors, Georgian era enthusiasts, luxury fashionistas, car fanatics – and, well, we could be here all day. This free exhibition was a perfect send-off for the beloved Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo, which closed in February for three whole years of renovations.

From Bondi Beach to the humble bin chicken, city icons that spark pride are a divisive topic for Sydneysiders. But, there is one certified icon that bucks the trend: Sydney Opera House. The ol' dame turned the big five-oh in 2023, and the Museum of Sydney decided to celebrate its world-famous neighbour in Circular Quay with this aptly-named exhibition. After all, there's a lot more than classical entertainment happening under the sails. From the controversy surrounding its construction (sorry, Jørn) to the history-making events hosted there over five decades, there are a lot of moments to mark in an exhibit such as this. With a broad range of historical objects, specially-commissioned new artworks, and immersive experiences for all ages – The People's House was an educational delight.

There will always be something so intriguing about exploring the depths of the ocean. Hosted annually at the Australian National Maritime Museum, this exhibition featuring more than 100 aquatic photos found new ways to inspire us in 2023. Enclosed in a moodily-lit corner of the museum, the reality-altering exhibition featured immersive photography that captures the otherworldly magic of the ocean. To your left, an incredibly beautiful film projected onto the wall would bring you up-close-and-personal with some of the most majestic creatures of the sea, following a diver as he swims amongst seals and seabirds in a sparkling expanse of blue. It might be hard to tear yourself away from the shimmering shoals of silver projected onto the wall, but the still images that line the maze-like gallery room were just as magnificent. 

The city's brand new museum of LGBTQIA+ history and culture, Qtopia Sydney finally opened in time for the 2024 Sydney Mardi Gras. The museum's primary location is the reclaimed old Darlinghurst Police Station, which was used as a lock-up for gay men in the '70s and '80s. There are many facets of queer history and culture commemorated across almost 20 exhibitions, from First Nations stories to Sydney's dedicated AIDS ward, and the vibrant history of lesbian media. But if we have to pick just one exhibition to highlight, you can't go past The Underground. The infamous public toilet block below Taylor Square (which was a popular "beat" until it was closed to public access in 1988) has been revitalised for this adults-only exhibition. Impressively curated with a combination of historial objects and new art works bathed in neon lights, this exhibition commemorates an unavoidable element of local gay history, and it would make George Michael proud.