Mitch Cairns at Wollongong Art Gallery ahead of opening weekend. Photo: Wollongong City Council.
Archibald Prize–winning artist Mitch Cairns is coming home.
His latest exhibition Restless Legs has opened at Wollongong Art Gallery, marking a special return to the city where his love of art first began.
Cairns grew up in the Illawarra and is well-known as a portrait painter, having won the Archibald Prize in 2017.
He is returning to Wollongong with an exhibition fresh from its presentation at the Art Gallery of NSW (AGNSW), where it featured as part of the AGNSW Contemporary Project Series.
This series showcases new works by contemporary artists from NSW.
Cairns said Wollongong Art Gallery held a special significance to him.
“It is the site of some of my earliest introductions to art, with exhibitions that have continued to stay with me,” he said.
“It’s deeply meaningful to return with Restless Legs and to share this work in a place that played such a formative role in my journey as an artist.”
Running until 30 November, the exhibition highlights the breadth and evolution of his artistic practice.
Titled to reflect Cairns’ signature dry wit and love of wordplay, Restless Legs refers to the sensation he experiences while reading in bed.
This interplay between language and literature is a central influence, alongside his inner-city surroundings and the humour and poignancy of everyday life.
Wollongong Art Gallery director Daniel Mudie Cunningham said he was honoured to welcome Cairns back to the Illawarra with the exhibition.
“Playful yet profound, his work offers a compelling reflection on language, place, and the everyday,” he said.
“It’s a privilege to present such a significant body of work from one of Australia’s leading contemporary artists, to continue our valued relationship with the Art Gallery of NSW and to share this exhibition with our local community.”
Restless Legs includes oil paintings and text-based bronze plates, with a standout work featuring a decommissioned power pole reimagined as a readymade sculpture and makeshift seat.
This piece evokes themes of class, labour, communication and regional identity.
Other recurring motifs include playful explorations of language through depictions of letters, numbers and literary quotations — from books to text messages.
Nature also plays a role, with a floral still life serving as a poetic self-portrait.
Restless Legs will be on show until 30 November at the Wollongong Art Gallery at 46 Burrelli Street, Wollongong.
