NGV Triennial Returns to Melbourne this December

The 2026 NGV Triennial, opening 13 December, offers a dynamic and diverse snapshot of contemporary culture today through the work of nearly 100 artists and collectives from 35 countries. Traversing all levels of NGV International, this blockbuster exhibition features more than 80 projects, including 25 world-premiere commissions and 70+ entering the NGV Collection. These include a newly commissioned sculpture by Zanele Muholi (South Africa), a never-before-seen installation of photographs by Wolfgang Tillmans (Germany), and a participatory chess set by Melbourne’s own Louise Paramor.

The exhibition features important work by international artists and designers including Jenny Holzer (USA), Sarah Sze (USA), Shilpa Gupta (India), Mika Rottenberg (Argentina), Martine Syms (USA), Pamela Rosenkranz (Switzerland), Wu Tsang (USA), Rachel Kneebone (UK), Christine Sun Kim (USA), Frida Escobedo (Mexico), Wendy Red Star (USA), Kent Monkman (Canada) and Ocean Vuong (Vietnam), alongside leading Australian practitioners including Christian Thompson, Angelina Karadada Boona and Juan Ford. Across the exhibition, artists and designers explore transformation in its many forms – material, cultural, technological, personal, political and societal – offering new ways of seeing and understanding the world around us.

The exhibition opens with two major site-specific works that transform NGV International’s Forecourt and Waterwall. Wunambal Gaambera/Worrora artist Angelina Karadada Boona will realise a glowing Wandjina installation for the Waterwall, while Lebanese-French artist Najla El Zein presents a large-scale outdoor sculpture designed for gathering and interaction. Major highlights include large-scale sculptures and installations that bring together ambitious scale, material innovation and craftsmanship, alongside works that explore how we interpret and understand the world, from kinetic and media-based pieces to immersive photographic installations.

The exhibition also features participatory works that invite audiences to learn, interact and play, alongside projects that reflect on contemporary life, technology and the environment. Launched in 2017 and held every three years, the NGV Triennial is a free, gallery-wide exhibition of contemporary art, design, architecture and fashion.

For more information visit the NGV Triennial 2026 website here