It’s convenient to rest on your laurels when it comes to learning new things. Contentment is a happy realm of living, but your potential will always be beyond arms reach. To excite our capabilities we need to entertain new activities and absorbing select artistry can be a fantastic way of stimulating your imagination. Fortunately for you, many of the world’s best art galleries are on your doorstep and we’ve put together a list of Australia’s foremost art museums to get you started.
Art Gallery of Ballarat, Ballarat
Not least the oldest and largest art museum in regional Australia, the Art Gallery of Ballarat is also the annual host of Australia’s favourite art award, the Archibald Prize. On top of that, it recently housed the work of prized US commercial photographer, David LaChapelle, as part of its own Ballarat International Foto Biennale. Established in 1884, the Art Gallery of Ballarat is particularly famed for its expression of British colonialism.
Don’t miss: Romancing the skull – our brain cage is a constant fixture in artistic exploration, but why? Open until Sunday January 2018.
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Before you begin your limitless journey through Australia’s oldest, largest and most visited art museum, circumnavigate its intriguing rectangular structure. The NGV has quickly become one of Melbourne’s most recognisable buildings housing everything from Indigenous collections to Australian colonial art as their hunger for international investigations quickly gains momentum. From Andy Warhol to Vincent Van Gogh, the NGV has welcomed it all. To top it all off, the gallery’s Great Hall hosts live music every Friday with credentials including Neon Indian, Gareth Liddiard, Regurgitator and more.
Don’t miss: 176 works from pioneering Japanese creative Katsushika Hokusai. Open until Sunday October 22.
MONA, Hobart
Arguably Australia’s most ambitious, forward-thinking gallery lies on the shores of Tasmania’s Derwent River. The Museum of Old and New Art strives to stimulate unease in its visitors so don’t expect to leave the gallery with an ordered state of mind. True to their avant-garde design, MONA uses custom-built technology in the form of a handheld device to guide its guests through the enchanting maze. After you’re satisfied with your dose of progressive muses, settle in the gallery’s Void Bar and put the pieces together.
Don’t miss: The Museum of Everything – sitting outside the confines of the mainstream art world, there’s Lego guns, circus relics, handstanding humans, you name it. Open until Monday April 2.
GOMA, Brisbane
Look across the Brisbane River into the bustling CBD of Queensland’s capital and you’re probably perched on the balconies of the Gallery of Modern Art. The city’s foremost assemblage of Australian contemporary art boasts more than 17,000 works and stages a dynamic program of exclusive national and international exhibitions. What’s more, GOMA is owner of the only dedicated cinema facility in an Australian art museum.
Don’t miss: Limitless Horizon: Vertical Perspective – become a drone pilot and peruse the neighbourhoods from a sky-high perspective. Open until Sunday March 25.
Carriageworks, Sydney
Beyond its cutting-edge collection of contemporary art, Sydney’s Carriageworks is one of Australia’s leading residences for performance and creative workshops. Burgeoning artists can be rest assured they have a home to hone their skills where industry professionals will be cognisant. Catch the work of pre-eminent artists, Tony Albert, Tully Arnot, Samuel Hodge, Mikala Dwyer, Claudia Nicholson and more in Carriageworks’ purpose-made Clothing Store.
Don’t miss: Oscillating live production Rhetorical Chorus at Liveworks 2017. Showing from Thursday October 19 until Sunday October 22.
Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne
Instituted in 1934, Melbourne’s Heide Museum of Modern Art has become one of Australia’s most important cultural establishments. Privy to the tastemaking prowess of artistic marvels, John and Sunday Reed, the gallery is a sprawling field of untapped imaginations. Amidst 15 acres of gardens lies more than 30 stunning and inspired sculptures featuring the work of luminaries Anish Kapoor, Anthony Caro and Neil Taylor.
Don’t miss: Heide’s Sidney Nolan centenary celebration exploring the late great’s iconic Ned Kelly series. Open until Sunday November 12.
White Rabbit Gallery, Sydney
One of the new boys on the block, Sydney’s White Rabbit Gallery was opened in 2009 to spotlight one of the world’s most intricate cultures. As sweet as its namesake candy, White Rabbit uncaps China’s perpetual appetite for conservative design and currently sprawls more than 2500 works by over 500 artists. As if it’s been pulled from a hat, the collection is magical – confounding at every turned corner with free-standing structures, ceiling-high flyers and wall paintings to boot.
Don’t miss: Ritual Spirit – Chinese religion and beliefs through art. Open until January 2018.
