National Art School in the NSW Landscape
This exhibition explores the relationship between people, land and culture in New South Wales. It features artworks by 21 significant Australian artists who studied at the National Art School, and it highlights the importance of artistic expression in informing our understanding of the environment in different regions in NSW.
The selection of artworks celebrates the voices and experiences of First Nations people and the multiplicity of cultures represented in NSW who have given shape to our sense of place over the generations. The variety of artworks on display reflects the incredible diversity of the NSW landscape, encompassing urban, rural, coastal, desert and mountainous locations.
2022 marks a significant milestone for National Art School, 100 years on site and 200 years since the former Darlinghurst Gaol was built. To celebrate the centenary year, an extensive program featuring School’s alumni is underway, including this exhibition, National Art School in the NSW Landscape.
Artists
John Olsen AO, OBE, Margaret Olley AC, Lucy Culliton, Tim Storrier AM, Thancoupie Gloria Fletcher James AO, Guido Maestri, Luke Sciberras, Karla Dickens, Ken Done AM, Elisabeth Cummings, John Coburn, Euphemia Bostock, Kevin Connor, Eliza Gosse, Bronte Leighton-Dore, Fiona Foley, Idris Murphy, Jeffrey Samuels, Guy Warren AM, Michael Johnson, Anne Zahalka
Exhibition dates:
9–31 March 2022
The Fountain Court, Parliament of New South Wales
Monday to Sunday, 9am–5pm
Image Caption:
Margaret Olley
Sydney Harbour from The Rocks, 2009-2011
oil on board, image size: 53.4 x 91.8 cm, frame size: 73.2 x 111.5 cm
Tweed Regional Gallery Collection
Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Andrew Greig, 2017
© Margaret Olley Art Trust
Now open in Building 25 Project Space — Liz Bradshaw `I didn`t expect to live this long`.
For this year`s Queer Contemporary, NAS alum Liz Bradshaw presents an exhibition of large-scale sculpture and installation works that offer a personal and political queering of time, space, materiality, and ideas. Integrating new works alongside a fragment of an artwork created at NAS in the 1990s, the installation folds together the artist`s personal experiences with the complex histories of the school`s site and the broader Darlinghurst area, which served as an epicentre of Australian queer history.
On view until 7 March. Monday to Saturday, 11am–5pm.
—
Installation view: Zan Wimberley
Feb 13
Students: spaces are still available in Drawing Week 2026 workshops!
These free 4-day workshops run the week before classes commence and are exclusively for students entering their 2nd and 3rd year of the BFA at NAS.
Select from one of 12 distinct focus areas and start the year with a full immersion in the process of making, looking at and thinking about drawing.
Learn more 🔗 in bio.
—
Photos: Peter Morgan
Feb 10
Featured in the @sydneymorningherald`s Spectrum — SEARCHERS: Graffiti and Contemporary Art.
Co-curator @fionalowry shares, “Graffiti doesn’t so much ‘lose value’ in the gallery as shift value. On the street, it holds power through risk, speed, territory and peer recognition. In the gallery, different things become visible: form, discipline, lineage and the deep relationship to authorship and mark-making. Part of what the exhibition tries to do is hold those two value systems in tension rather than pretend one replaces the other.”
SEARCHERS continues at the National Art School Gallery until April 11. Open Monday to Saturday, 11am–5pm.
—
Installation views: Zan Wimberley
Feb 9
Work at the National Art School!
We`re recruiting a Head of Postgraduate Studies to lead and shape our postgraduate programs, including BFA (Hons), MFA and DFA.
Applications close Sunday 8 March 2026, 5pm.
Learn more 🔗 in bio.
—
The Postgrad Show, 2025, photos: Peter Morgan
Feb 6
Opening 12 February — Queer Contemporary, as part of @sydneymardigras
This year`s edition presents `Liz Bradshaw: I didn`t expect to live this long` — an exhibition of large-scale sculpture and installation works that offer a personal and political queering of time, space, materiality, and idea — with student exhibitions organised by Jack Oliver Owen and nikita lelu.
Join us for the opening night on Thursday 12 February, from 6–9pm.
RSVP 🔗 in bio.
—
Liz Bradshaw, `Two Pair`, 2023
Feb 1
The National Art School acknowledges that for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and for many other Australians, January 26 is a day of sorrow — marking deep loss, as well as survival.
Across Australia today, communities are coming together to reflect, connect and mark the day respectfully. The National Art School is committed to listening, learning and moving forward together.
For information about events visit antar.org.au and https://whatson.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/events/australia-day-sydney
Jan 26
