Just three years ago, over 1 million visitors gathered at NGV International to see the massive exhibition, NGV Triennial. And, the time has absolutely flown, because it’s coming back to Melbourne this year. Taking over all levels of the building, you can look forward to the work of nearly 100 artists and collectives from 35 countries. Marvel at over 80 projects, including 25 world-premiere commissions and 70+ works entering the NGV Collection. NGV Triennial will run from December 13, 2026 to April 11, 2027, and it’s free to attend.
NGV Triennial 2026
This gallery-wide exhibition first launched in 2017, and is coming back to Melbourne for its fourth edition. Look forward to contemporary art, design, architecture and fashion from international artists and designers. This year, they will explore transformation in its many forms, such as material, cultural, technological and political, offering new ways for us to see and understand the world.
“Every three years, the NGV Triennial gives audiences the chance to reflect on our rapidly changing lives and culture through the work of some of the globe’s leading practitioners,” said Tony Ellwood AM, Director of the NGV. “Through art and design, the Triennial presents an opportunity to learn, understand and contemplate a world in flux, as well as our place within it.”
Art in every corner
From the moment you arrive at the venue, you’ll be immersed in artwork.
The iconic Waterwall will be transformed with a signature Wandjina figure from Wunambal Gaambera/Worrora artist Angelina Karadada Boona. Wandjina are powerful ancestral beings that live in the clouds and bring the rain. See this figure, represented with owl-like eyes and a halo, in a glowing light across the Waterwall.
Meanwhile, Lebanese-French artist Najla El Zein will present a major outdoor sculpture designed for public gatherings. Visitors are invited to sit, touch, rest, recline, gather and play on this carved limestone sculpture.
The fun continues in Federation Court, with Pamela Rosenkranz creating a new iteration of her 7.5 metre sculpture Old Tree, 2023. Originally commissioned for the High Line in New York, this sculpture will embody the ancient ‘tree of life’ motif with vivid pink hues.
Over in the Great Hall, you’ll find 32 chess pieces from Melbourne-based artist Louise Paramor. Each piece will be the same height as a typical human, and visitors are invited to play chess games and competitions throughout the exhibition period.
More highlights
A large gallery space will be filled with foil penguins, filled with helium. This interactive piece, known as The birds, 2026, by Benedikte Bjerre (Denmark), takes its name from Alfred Hitchcock’s classic horror film. Guests are invited to navigate around the penguins and pick them up, before watching them float back to the ground. This work is a commentary on the destruction of the penguins’ natural habitat as a result of climate change.
Look up and see the kinetic sculpture, WTF, 2022. Created by Jenny Holzer, this suspended LED sign features online posts from a conspiracy theorist, and tweets from Donald Trump during his first term. The work slides along a track in an unpredictable rhythm, reminding us of the chaotic patterns of online conversations.
The Gallery Kitchen will feature a multi-media installation from Wendy Red Star (USA). This commission, developed with Deakin Motion Lab, draws on the histories, archives and lived knowledge of the Apsáalooke Nation. It transforms colonial-era landscape paintings into an animated, interactive world. ‘Enter’ the artwork, and be transformed into an invasive animal, revealing the ecological impact of colonisation.
German photographer Wolfgang Tillmans will reveal a never-before-seen installation of images. Taking over the whole room, Love Life Installation (1989-2022) will showcase 25 photos as one single composition, showcasing different scenes like club nights and intimate portraits.
Renowned South African artist Zanele Muholi will reveal their 3.3 metre sculpture, Umkhuseli (The Protector), 2025. This large-scale piece depicts the artist as the Virgin Mary, providing commentary on gender-based injustice.
The kids will also have plenty to do, with the Squish, Twist, Fizz exhibition on display in the Children’s Gallery. It will feature Mika Rottenberg’s video work, Cosmic Generator, 2017, which travels through brightly lit tunnels, marketplaces and communities along the border between Mexico and the USA. There will be a hands-on environment inspired by the film, where kids can draw, play, and make sculptures from plastic waste collected from the streets of New York City.
This is just scratching the surface of all that you can expect at the Triennial. For more information, click here.