The Art Gallery of South Australia Unveils 2026 Exhibition Program

The Art Gallery of South Australia has announced its 2026 exhibition season, foregrounding South Australian artists across three major exhibitions while also presenting an exclusive international program that includes Monet to Matisse: Defying Tradition and the 2026 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Yield Strength.

Director Jason Smith noted that the year’s offerings highlight artistic excellence, creative innovation, and AGSA’s rich collection, with exhibitions that address contemporary issues and the role artists play in shaping cultural understanding.

Opening on 27 February as part of the 2026 Adelaide Festival, the Adelaide Biennial will be curated by Ellie Buttrose and explore how materials, identity, and society transform under pressure. Twenty-four Australian artists will contribute new and experimental works for Yield Strength. In May, Two Islands, One Thread will highlight the textile traditions of Bali and Lombok through objects drawn from AGSA’s holdings and loans from the West Nusa Tenggara State Museum. Beginning in July, AGSA will launch its Winter Art Series with Monet to Matisse: Defying Tradition, an Australian-exclusive exhibition of 57 masterworks from the Toledo Museum of Art.

South Australian artists will be featured in three exhibitions across the second half of the year. James Tylor: Turrangka…in the shadows opens in July, presenting the most comprehensive survey of the Kaurna artist’s daguerreotypes, digital photographic works, and collaborative pieces. On 5 December, Dressed Up: Fashion & Photography 1850–1920 will bring together historical South Australian dress and early photography, offering new insights into makers, wearers, and the region’s material histories. Also in December, Guildhouse Fellow Michelle Nikou will debut new sculptural works that expand on surrealist influences and reimagine domestic objects.