Visit Canberra during spring and select from a range of fascinating and diverse exhibitions to visit.
Art, culture and history in Canberra – Spring 2016
From 9 September 2016 until 29 January 2017, the National Museum of Australia is hosting A History of the World in 100 Objects, which features artefacts from the British Museum. This major international exhibition explores the history of humanity – how we have shaped the world, and how the world has shaped us. It provides an exceptional opportunity to witness compelling human stories expressed through a unique and beautiful collection of rare artefacts drawn from across the globe. Each object featured in the exhibition marks a point on the journey through history, from two million years ago until the present. Our NMA Special Offer package includes tickets to the exhibition. Click here to find out more.
At the National Portrait Gallery until 16 October, Tough & Tender reveals emotional vulnerability and yearning for connection. Art by a group of American and Australian artists from the 1960s to now explore the complexities of personal relations and individual expression – their work is intimate and raw. Photographs by Warwick Baker, Larry Clark, Rozalind Drummond, Nan Goldin, Robert Mapplethorpe and Collier Schorr reflect the formative identity of young adulthood and complexities of masculinity and gender, composed with sensitivity and candour. In ground-breaking performance art documented on video, Chris Burden’s physical trials strip back his own persona and the mythic ethos of manhood. Entry to this exhibition is free.
Also at the National Portrait Gallery, The Popular Pet Show will express the joy and warmth that many of us derive from our animal companions, and will celebrate their trusting, unpretentious ways. Comprising exuberant recent Australian paintings, many on a large scale, it will include portraits of famous and obscure Australians and their pets by contemporary artists Nicholas Harding, Lucy Culliton, Darren McDonald, Anna Culliton, Fiona McMonagle, Ken Done, Noel McKenna, Graeme Drendel, Robyn Sweaney and Kristin Headlam. Many works have been created especially for the exhibition. The Pet Show curator is Sarah Engledow, whose recent popular National Portrait Gallery exhibitions include Arcadia: Sound of the sea; Paris to Monaro: Pleasures from the studio of Hilda Rix Nicholas; and Idle Hours. A fully-illustrated catalogue, written by Dr Engledow, will accompany the high-spirited exhibition. On show from Friday 4 November 2016 until Sunday 12 March 2017. Tickets will be available for sale prior to the exhibition launch in November.
Dr Who fans will enjoy seeing a collection of memorabilia in Bigger on the inside: Collecting Dr Who at the Canberra Museum and Gallery until 20 November. In this exhibition, collector Timothy Kirsopp displays his entire collection of Dr Who memorabilia in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest collection of Dr Who related memorabilia. Items document everything Whovian from Daleks and the TARDIS to the Doctors and their companions. Included in this collection are miniatures, toys, books and board games. Until 20 November 2016. Free entry.
At the Australian War Memorial, Reality in flames explores how Australian modernist artists responded creatively to the Second World War. 90 artworks have been drawn from the Australian War Memorial’s collection for this exhibition.
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Image: VisitCanberra
