The National 4: Australian Art Now

Now in its fourth edition, The National is a biennial survey of contemporary Australian art – this year expanding to Greater Sydney with the addition of Campbelltown Arts Centre to the existing line-up of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Carriageworks and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. Happening between March and July 2023, The National 4: Australian Art Now showcases the best in contemporary works from across the country.

The National 4 is curated by Beatrice Gralton (Art Gallery of NSW), Emily Rolfe (Campbelltown Arts Centre), Freja Carmichael and Aarna Fitzgerald Hanley (Carriageworks), and Jane Devery (MCA Australia). From miniature works to sprawling, large-scale installations, the four-venue exhibition brings together artists and collectives from every state and territory in the country, united by thematic threads of intergenerational learning, interconnectedness, language and narrative, and the role of the artist in the 21st century.

Fourteen artists are included in the line-up at the Art Gallery of NSW, including Abdul Abdullah, Reko Rennie and Esther Stewart, with the program also extending to the Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills for the first time in the exhibition’s history with a series of works by Sydney artist Natasha Walsh. Eleven artists join the inaugural Campbelltown Arts Centre line-up, including Brook Andrew, Shivanjani Lal and a project by Yabini Kickett with Sharyn Egan and Ilona McGuire, while Carriageworks’ own eleven-strong roster includes works by Katie West, Jason Phu, Jo Lloyd and more.

Lastly, MCA Australia exhibits works by thirteen artists and two collectives across a range of experimental, process-driven and socially engaged practices, including Hoda Ashfar, Daniel Boyd, Léuli Eshrāgi and the Northern Territory’s Jilamara Arts and Crafts Association.

Entry across all four galleries is free throughout the duration of the exhibitions. Browse the full artist line-up here.

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