The 2026 NGV Triennial will open at NGV International on 13 December, bringing together nearly 100 artists and collectives from 35 countries in one of the city’s largest contemporary art events.
Spanning the entire gallery, the free exhibition features more than 80 projects, including 25 world-premiere commissions and over 70 works entering the NGV Collection. The program covers visual art, design, architecture and performance, offering a broad snapshot of how artists are responding to a rapidly changing world.
This year’s Triennial focuses on transformation across cultural, technological and social contexts. International names including Jenny Holzer, Sarah Sze and Shilpa Gupta sit alongside Australian artists such as Christian Thompson and Angelina Karadada Boona.
Visitors will encounter large-scale works from the moment they arrive. Karadada Boona will transform the NGV Waterwall with a glowing Wandjina installation, while Lebanese-French artist Najla El Zein presents a sculptural public work on the forecourt designed for gathering, sitting and interaction.
Inside, highlights include a major installation by Wolfgang Tillmans, bringing together decades of imagery into a single immersive space, and a new sculpture by Zanele Muholi exploring identity and empathy. Melbourne artist Louise Paramor will also create a participatory chess set, inviting visitors to play within the gallery.
Other works look closely at how people interpret information and images. Holzer’s kinetic LED installation presents fragments of online text, while Gupta’s mechanical display of shifting words asks audiences to fill in gaps and meaning.
Interactive elements run throughout the exhibition. Visitors can move through installations, take part in activities and engage directly with artworks, including projects designed for younger audiences.
NGV Director Tony Ellwood said: “Every three years, the NGV Triennial gives audiences the chance to reflect on our rapidly changing lives and culture through the work of some of the globe’s leading practitioners. Through art and design, the Triennial presents an opportunity to learn, understand and contemplate a world in flux, as well as our place within it.”
First launched in 2017, the Triennial has become one of Melbourne’s biggest cultural drawcards, attracting more than a million visitors in previous editions. The 2026 program continues that scale, turning the NGV into a city-wide destination for contemporary art and ideas.
The 2026 NGV Triennial will be on display from 13 December 2026 – 11 April 2027 at NGV International, St Kilda Road, Melbourne. Entry is FREE. Further information is available via the NGV website: NGV.MELBOURNE
