kith and kin; an enveloping artwork created in situ by First Nations artist Archie Moore, premieres at the Australia Pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. Commissioned by Creative Australia, the exhibition is curated by Ellie Buttrose and is on view from 20 April – 24 November 2024.

In kith and kin, Moore transforms the Australia Pavilion with an expansive, genealogical chart spanning 65,000+ years. Drawing on his Kamilaroi, Bigambul, British and Scottish heritage, the installation embodies Moore’s enduring exploration of history and identity, central themes in his artistic practice spanning over 30 years. His work brings international awareness to the vitality of First Nations kinship, in spite of facing systemic injustices since British invasion in 1770. kith and kin provides audiences with the first significant opportunity to experience a solo exhibition of Moore’s art outside of Australia.

Photo credits: Archie Moore / kith and kin 2024 / Australia Pavilion at Venice Biennale 2024 / Photographer Andrea Rossetti / © the artist / Images courtesy of the artist and The Commercial

The National Gallery of Australia’s iconic sculpture garden is set to undergo a $60 million revitalisation with the launch of the Sculpture Garden Design Competition today.

The National Gallery will conduct an open-call, two stage, competition to select a design team who can create an innovative design incorporating a public place for experiencing art, education, cultural and social events, while respecting the garden’s original design intent and heritage values.

The winner of the competition will lead a major redevelopment to revitalise the three-hectare garden surrounding the National Gallery, reinforcing its position as the most significant sculpture garden in Australia. The National Sculpture Garden project will be realised through philanthropic support.

In May 2024, the National Gallery of Victoria presents the 10th annual Melbourne Art Book Fair, a state-wide celebration of art book publishing and Melbourne’s status as a UNESCO City of Literature. Over 11 days, from 23 May to 2 June 2024, the Fair will enliven venues across Melbourne and Victoria with book launches, talks, exhibitions and more, including a special in-conversation with art historian Katy Hessel, a TV gameshow pop-up and showcase art and design publishing from across Australia and beyond.

Grace Crowley & Ralph Balson is the first-ever major exhibition to explore in-depth the longstanding creative partnership and artistic synergies between pioneering abstract artists Grace Crowley (1890-1979) and Ralph Balson (1890-1964). Opening 23 May 2024 at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, the exhibition charts their radical leap into pure abstraction, and the important role they played in shaping the modern art movement in Australia.

Painting exclusively together for many decades, Crowley and Balson’s dynamic exchange extended and challenged both artists. Crowley and Balson respectively produced some of the earliest and most important works of abstract art in the country. Their collaborative approach to painting – the sharing of ideas, techniques and materials – resulted in two significant bodies of work that broke new ground in Australian art.

By presenting the work of Crowley and Balson together, the exhibition invites audiences to trace the shared influences and harmonies between their works, as well as to appreciate the centrality of collaboration to their individual practices. The exhibition comprises more than 75 paintings and works on paper, with some of these never-before-seen by the Australian public, and drawn from Victorian and interstate collections, major institutions including the Art Gallery of New South Wales and National Gallery of Australia, regional and private collections.

Image: Grace Crowley, Abstract painting, 1950, 61 x 75.8 cm, oil on hardboard, Art Galley of New South Wales, Sydney, Purchased with funds provided by the Art Gallery of New South Wales Foundation, 2019, © Grace Crowley Estate

A Secondary Eye has announced the launch of a new gallery space located within the arts district of Woollahra, Sydney on Friday 3 May 2024.

Led by Jesse-Jack De Deyne, a specialist with extensive experience working in the secondary market for Australian Indigenous art and Boris Cornelissen, former Contemporary Art Specialist at Sotheby’s London and Hong Kong, A Secondary Eye was founded in 2020 with a focus on further developing the secondary market for art and collectibles in Australia.