Newcastle Art Gallery is going big, unveiling two Australian-first exhibitions alongside a major new survey of Newcastle-based artist Angela Tiatia as its expanded gallery continues its next chapter.
The gallery has opened Angela Tiatia: Muse and A.A.Murakami’s New Spring, marking the first international exhibition since Newcastle Art Gallery reopened in February.
The two exhibitions showcase the expanded institution’s focus on local, national and internationally recognised artists, with both offering distinctly different ways to experience contemporary art.
Muse brings together two decades of Tiatia’s multidisciplinary practice through video, photography and installation.
The ticketed exhibition traces the Sāmoan/Australian artist’s career from her early work turning the camera on herself through to larger-scale works featuring ensemble casts, creating the first major survey of her career.
Also joining Muse is The Matildas, 2025, the first gallery presentation of the work outside the National Portrait Gallery, which commissioned the 23-minute video portrait.
Filmed across three continents, five cities and seven shoots, it captures all 23 players from the CommBank Matildas’ FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 squad, including Newcastle’s own Emily van Egmond and Clare Wheeler.
Over in New Spring, Tokyo and London-based duo A.A.Murakami are making their Australian debut with a multisensory installation created as part of their ephemeral technology series.
Three tree-like sculptures produce luminous, mist-filled bubbles that bloom and fall like flowers, recreating a natural phenomenon through the artists’ handmade machines.
Rounding out the new works is a second window commission in the Learning Studio facing Darby Street, featuring a large-scale graphic by Hunter-based artist Indeah Clark depicting a network of faces reflecting the people and places that shape ideas of self and belonging.
Angela Tiatia: Muse runs from 26 September 2026 to 7 February 2027, with tickets available through Newcastle Art Gallery, while The Matildas, 2025 is free to view over the same period. For more information, head to newcastleartgallery.nsw.gov.au
