New year, new exhibitions to attend. And what better way to beat the heat of summer with a trip to a cool, air conditioned art gallery? It will make you feel cultured, it will make you sweat less. And there are no two feelings more pleasurable IMO.

If you need some inspiration for what galleries to trot around this month, we've got you covered below with all the shows we know are happening around the country at this very time.

NSW

Art Gallery of New South Wales

Encounter – until 12 April 2026

This exhibition brings an unparalleled selection of the acclaimed Australian artist Ron Mueck's sculptures exclusively to Sydney. His captivating figures, scaled from the monumental to the minute, embody themes such as birth and death, alienation and togetherness, tenderly inviting us to explore our relationship with the world.

Bundanon

The Hidden Line: Art of the Boyd Women – until 15 February 2026

This exhibition celebrates the women of one of Australia's most prominent artistic dynasties with more than 300 works from five generations, including never-before-exhibited works. The exhibition will present works by Emma Minnie a’Beckett Boyd (one of the rare female artists of her era able to have a full-time artistic practice) and Yvonne Boyd, who with her husband Arthur Boyd, gifted Bundanon to the Australian people, representing one of the most significant acts of philanthropy in the history of the arts in Australia.

COMA

The World As Glass – from 16 January until 21 February 2026

Featuring all-Australian artists, this exhibition investigates the opacity of human intention, revealing how easily certainty can splinter under pressure. It looks at how a layering of the act of presenting fact provides multiple points for reality to fracture and shatter. The World As Glass brings together a group of Australian artists that seek contemporary art-making as not only a retelling of truth and reality, but how it may break or hold when we do.

VIC

Buxton Contemporary

Stone Soup – until 11 April 2026

A major solo exhibition by internationally acclaimed sculptor Hany Armanious. He is celebrated for his inventive and often playful approach to sculpture, inviting audiences to experience ordinary objects anew. Drawing from the everyday, he recasts found objects in resin at a 1:1 scale, with meticulous attention to colour, texture and form, while allowing subtle imperfections to remain visible.

NGV

Westwood | Kawakubo – until 19 Apr 2026

This major international exhibition pairs the work of two of the most visionary and influential fashion designers in recent history, Vivienne Westwood (1941–2022) and Rei Kawakubo (1942–) of Comme des Garçons.

Heide Museum

Song of the Earth – until 9 March 2026

A major exhibition of works by John Nixon (1949–2020), one of Australia’s most influential and experimental abstract artists. This extensive survey is the first to span Nixon’s fifty-year career. Presented five years after his death, it offers a timely celebration of his life’s work.

QLD

GOMA

Presence – until 12 Jul 2026

Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson invites you on an expansive, multi-sensory journey that engages our sense of perception. Choose your path through a primordial landscape, encounter moments that heighten awareness and envision the future form of our city. This Brisbane-exclusive exhibition draws from the three‑decade career of one of the world’s most influential living artists.

Edwina Corlette

Summer Show – until 23 January 2026

Experience Edwina Corlette's summer group show, with painted works by artists Sally Anderson, Eliza Gosse, Jane Guthleben, John Bokor, Dan Kyle, Bridie Gillman, Rhys Lee, Sally Nangala Mulda, Candy Nelson Nakamarra, Miranda Skoczek, James Drinkwater, Pia Murphy.

SA

AGSA

Too Deadly: Ten Years of Tarnanthi – until 18 January 2026

This exhibition assembles more than 200 landmark works of art that have been acquired into AGSA’s collection over the last ten years of Tarnanthi. Curated by Artistic Director Nici Cumpston OAM, Too Deadly not only reflects on Tarnanthi’s first decade but also recontextualises and re-energises important works, allowing new dialogues to emerge between works of art, showcasing the artistic excellence of First Nations artists from across the country.

WA

AGWA

Infinite Terrain – until 6 April 2026

A landmark retrospective honouring the extraordinary career of internationally renowned ceramicist Pippin Drysdale.

NT

MAGNT Darwin

Cyclone Tracy – ongoing

Explore a classic 1970 elevated home, monitor the cyclone at the desk of the Darwin Bureau of Meteorology office much as it looked in 1974, experience the real sound of Tracy brought to life through new technology and remastered sound in a new sound booth and explore 50 years of stories.

ACT

NGA

The Christmas Tree Bucket – until 6 September 2026

Trent Parke’s photographic series is a tender and darkly humorous portrayal of his extended family coming together to celebrate Christmas. The series showcases Parke’s distinctive and acclaimed visual style and his skilful use of light and colour, to transcendent effect.

TAS

Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery

The World of Butterflies Exhibition – until 26 January 2026

A special exhibition celebrating the diversity and beauty of butterflies on our planet. Featuring stunning displays of rare and exotic specimens, this exhibition is a must-see for nature lovers and curious minds alike.

Dada Muse

Dante's Divine Comedy – ongoing

A complete suite of 100 authentic water-colour works on paper by Salvador Dali, based on Dante Alighieri's literary classic of the same name. Over 3500 woodblock carvings are said to have been used in the printing process.