The NGV Triennial Is Back – Here Are the Names to Know

This December, the fourth Triennial lands at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). Bringing together nearly 80 works by around 100 artists, designers and collectives from more than 35 countries, the exhibition spans all four levels of the gallery, providing a snapshot of the most exciting global contemporary art. 

“The Triennial has always been about this intermingling of art, design and architecture,” says Triennial curator Amita Kirpalani. “For this edition, we haven’t been led by a strict theme – we’ve been led by the artists. From that, synergies and connections have emerged naturally.” 

One central thread is the idea of transformation: of the self, of materials and of the world around us. “We tend to look at artists and designers as innovators, turning ideas over and interrogating materials for hidden possibilities,” Kirpalani says. “In the Triennial, we’re using transformation as a key lens: if we get up close to these works, is there another point of view we might adopt?”

Framing the gallery forecourt is a large, hand-carved limestone sculpture by French Lebanese artist Najla El Zein, a leading figure in design named in Architectural Digest’s AD100 2025 list. The commission is intended as a place to sit, rest, gather and play.

Before stepping inside – set against the NGV’s waterwall – there’s a special commission by Wunambal Gaambera/Worrora artist Angelina Karadada Boona: a reimagining of her signature Wandjina figures, powerful ancestral beings associated with clouds and rain.

Under the stained-glass ceiling of the Great Hall, acclaimed Melbourne-based artist Louise Paramor will present a large-scale interactive chess set, featuring 32 human-height pieces. Known for her bright, toy-like works (including Panorama Station, a 17-metre sculpture visible along the Peninsula Link Freeway) Paramor’s installation invites audiences to play and compete.

Headlining the exhibition is American conceptual artist Jenny Holzer, known for her LED text-based projections. WTF is a swinging, kinetic installation pairing online posts by a conspiracy theorist with tweets from US President Donald Trump during his first term.

Turner Prize-winning German photographer Wolfgang Tillmans – famed for his abstract images and the artist behind Frank Ocean’s Blonde album artwork – will premiere a new installation made up of 25 photographs.

Elsewhere, there’s a monumental 3.3-metre sculpture of the Virgin Mary by South African artist Zanele Muholi, one of the most revered photographers in the world.

US artist Sarah Sze presents Slow Dance, a video installation featuring images of animals, nature and human-made objects, projected onto hundreds of torn pieces of paper. And Indian artist Shilpa Gupta displays fragmented words and phrases on a train departure time flap board, inviting viewers to mentally fill in the blanks.

“There are really moving, unexpected works – like Harare‑based Kresiah Mukwazhi, who’s made an incredibly beautiful textile work, and a major new textile commission by Indian designer Chinar Farooqui that’s overwhelmingly beautiful,” Kirpalani says.

Other names on the line-up include literary star Ocean Vuong, leading architect Frida Escobedo, American sound artist Christine Sun Kim and celebrated Australian artist Christian Thompson.

There’s also an exhibition designed for children, Squish, Twist, Fizz, by Mika Rottenberg. The Argentinian-born, New York-based artist presents a hypnotic film Cosmic Generator alongside a playful, hands-on children’s display inspired by the film’s vibrant, abstract universe.

As in previous years, a selection of activations will also take over the gallery, to be announced at a later date. 

The 2026 NGV Triennial will be on display from 13 December, 2026 to 11 April, 2027 at NGV International. Entry is free.