Wollongong Art Gallery director Daniel Mudie Cunningham in front of Troy-Anthony Baylis’ work, Tell Them Their Dreaming. Photo: Wollongong City Council.
If you pop into Wollongong Art Gallery this year, don’t be surprised if you come across a theatrical or musical performance.
Long gone are the days when art galleries were just a place to view paintings or drawings – at least not at one of the country’s largest regional art galleries.
Of course the gallery still hosts work by some of the country’s best artists and this year’s program will include a diverse line-up of artists, workshops, events and performances.
Launching the 2026 program, gallery director Daniel Mudie Cunningham said it reflected the continued commitment to expanding the gallery’s creative reach across disciplines, communities and forms of storytelling.
“With this program, we’re exploring how art holds memory, emotion and change; how it maps the complex relationships between people and place, past and future, and the real and the imagined,’’ Daniel said.
“It’s really important to me that the Wollongong Art Gallery remains a civic, poetic, and dynamic space of encounter — a space that’s responsive and always in motion.
“This year’s program continues to expand on what’s possible and invites visitors to reflect, engage and experience the gallery in new ways.”
Visitors won’t miss the year’s first exhibition, Troy-Anthony Baylis’ Tell Them Their Dreaming, with images installed across the gallery’s facade.
It explores the layered meanings of dreaming – as sleep and the subconscious, as fantasy and desire in popular music and most significantly, as sacred Aboriginal cultural knowledge known as The Dreaming.
The First Nations artist has created a playful and evocative series, drawing on lyrics from a wide range of songs that reference dreams and dreaming.
Baylis visually samples music from queer icons such as Kylie Minogue, Mariah Carey and Jayne County; Australian bands including Kids In The Kitchen and The Masters Apprentices; and Wollongong’s own legendary stoner rock band, Tumbleweed. The exhibition is on now, until 24 May.
Daniel is 18 months into his role as director and said shaping the 2026 program was a significant milestone.
He said although it was diverse, all the projects shared a core interest in connection, emotion and transformation.
“I wanted to ensure that what was on offer was exciting, engaging and would spark conversations and encourage everyone in our community to regularly visit the gallery,’’ he said.
“Wollongong is one of the largest regional art galleries in the country and it’s free to visit. I believe this program, featuring contemporary artists including Michelle Cawthorn and Peter Sharp, Elvis Richardson, Georgia Banks and Raquel Caballero will be enjoyed by everyone.’’
Daniel said it was also important the gallery provided an exhibition space for local artists, as well as nationally recognised artists.
“I’m delighted that we’ll be featuring some incredible local artists in our 2026 program – Rob Howe’s Transience Atlas and Nicci Bedson’s Ballad of the Burbs which explore the beauty and change of suburban life and you’ll see some familiar facades captured in these shows,’’ he said.
Tess Allas will return to the gallery this year with We are the land we walk upon, opening on 14 March.
The collaboration with Frances Belle Parker and Adrian Stimson was filmed across Siksika land in Canada and Yaegl and Tharawal lands in Australia. The artists walk on each other’s home Countries to share stories of history, spirituality and survival.
Interwoven with quotes from ancestors and elders, the work connects past and present.
It combines archival material, drone footage and a pulsing powwow soundtrack to become a poetic act of homage to land as memory, kin and continuity.
The gallery will expand its focus on live performance, including The City the Colour of Stars, Cicada and Farewell Tour, merging music, theatre and visual art.
“These works invite audiences to experience the gallery not just as a space for viewing, but as a living organism responsive to sound, movement and atmosphere,” Daniel said.
“It’s fantastic that our community can be exposed to such a diverse offering of talented artists – for free – at Wollongong Art Gallery. I consider it a real honour that we’re going to be showing such a diverse range of exhibitions here.’’
For more information on the 2026 program visit Wollongong Art Gallery. The gallery is at 46 Burelli Street and is open from 10 am to 5 pm (Tuesday to Friday) and from noon to 4 pm on weekends.
