Exhibitions

Join in the excitement as we welcome The Archibald Prize to MRAG! From portraiture to climate activism and local history, there’s plenty to entice, inspire and challenge you in our Spring and Summer program.

Linda Greedy, Instruments, 2021, oil on timber panel, 30 x 30 cm. A Conspicous Object: The Maitland Hospital

Built on Wonnarua land in the 1840s, The Maitland Hospital is a layered place – a patchwork of buildings and corridors imbued with the fears and hopes of a community over 170 years. A Conspicuous Object – The Maitland Hospital taps into these layers, with nine artists invited to respond to stories that capture a diversity of experiences, people and places from the hospital’s history. The exhibition highlights the ways art, history and health can intertwine to tell stories, invite reflection, and engage community memories.

Presented by MRAG in partnership with Hunter New England Local Health District (HNELHD) and Health Infrastructure (HI).

16 Oct 2021 – 6 Feb 2022

Emily Keith, Origami Girl (detail), 2020, digital photograph on paper, 63 x 48cm, Kiama High School

Guy Maestri, Innocent X, 2017, painted bronze, 66 x 46 x 26cm. Donated to the National Art School Collection by the artist in 2018 through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program © the artist

Kirsten Browning, Caramello Dodo (detail), 2020, digital print on paper, 205 x 138cm Operation Art

Each year the Operation Art program provides an opportunity for schools and students to demonstrate their visual arts achievements across various venues and regional galleries in New South Wales.

An initiative of The Children’s Hospital at Westmead in association with the NSW Department of Education.

4 Sep – 7 Nov 2021

National Art (Part One)

National Art – Part One is a dynamic selection of both recent and early formative work by fifty of Australia’s leading artists, all of whom studied at the National Art School in Sydney. The exhibition celebrates the approaching 100-year anniversary of NAS (1922-2022).

Touring from the National Art School

18 Sept 2021 – 16 Jan 2022

Bushfire Brandalism

In February 2020, 41 artists took to the streets across three Australian cities for the nation’s largest unsanctioned art campaign, #BushfireBrandalism. This exhibition shows a selection of posters created by the artists as a direct response to the catastrophic bushfires of 2019/2020.

2 Oct – 28 Nov 2021

Fiona Lee, Unpreparable (installation detail), 2020, polyester, resin, ash from the bedroom of the artist’s child, fire damaged children’s shorts, pegs, clothesline, wood. Dimensions variable.

Neridah Stockley, Hermannsburg (detail), 2019, oil on paper, 76 × 56cm

Daniel Agdag working on Lost Property Office, 2017 Fiona Lee | Unpreparable

Artist and climate change activist Fiona Lee lost her family home and studio near Taree to the catastrophic bushfires in November 2019. In this exhibition – a very personal, raw and challenging response to the climate crisis – Lee has shaped works from her home’s scorched remains.

2 Oct – 28 Nov 2021

Neridah Stockley | Hermannsburg and Paint

Neridah Stockley is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Alice Springs. Her work for this exhibition responds to Hermannsburg, a unique cross-cultural heritage site in central Australia where Lutheran Mission activity in the 1930s intersects with The Hermannsburg School of watercolour painting made famous by Albert Namatjira.

Neridah Stockley is represented by Michael Reid Gallery

13 Nov 2021 – 27 Feb 2022

Daniel Agdag | Lost Property Office: The Exhibition

A behind-the-scenes insight into the creation of stop-motion short film Lost Property Office. The art deco, post-industrial inspired world of the film was created by artist and filmmaker Daniel Agdag from 2500 sheets of cardboard. The exhibition includes time-lapse footage and a cardboard set installation.

27 Nov 2021 – 20 Feb 2022

Tim Andrew, High Court Judges Wall (detail), 2019, black toner on 100gsm stock, crayons, public participants. Dimensions variable. Digital draft courtesy of the artist.

Storylines | Curated by Todd Fuller and Lisa Woolfe

An exhibition of work by contemporary Australian artists who use drawing to dissect the accepted historical timeline of our country. Drawing, by its very nature, comprises erasure and correction, and the artists in Storylines use these actions in their work to challenge accepted understandings of Australian history. 4 Dec 2021 – 27 Feb 2022

Archibald Prize 2021 finalist, Mirra Whale, Repose, oil on linen, 90.1 x 110.2 cm. Photo: AGNSW, Jenni Carter, Sitter: Ben Quilty

Archibald Prize 2021

The Archibald Prize 2021 is coming to MRAG! First awarded in 1921, The Archibald is the country’s favourite art award, and one of its most prestigious, showcasing a who’s who of Australian culture through portrait painting. This touring exhibition includes all 52 finalists.

Touring from the Art Gallery of New South Wales

22 Jan – 6 Mar 2022

Noŋggirrŋa Marawili

19 Feb - 14 Aug 2022 Speaking with Colour | Maitland Cultural Resurgence

12 March - 22 May 2022 Alysha Fewster | Of This Place

26 Feb - 5 June 2022 Dani Marti | Oh Canola!

5 Mar - 29 May 2022

Dani Marti, Oh Canola! (detail), 2021, customised corner cube reflectors on aluminium, 281 x 1160cm