Sydney Art in October 2026: Contemporary Art, Ceramics and Drawing

October is a rewarding month for art in Sydney. The city’s programme brings together major Australian painting, contemporary drawing, ceramics, public sculpture and international contemporary art across the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and independent galleries.

Here are the exhibitions and events worth seeing this month.

Contemporary Australian painting

Nolan: Origins opens at the Art Gallery of New South Wales on October 3 and runs until February 7, 2027. The exhibition presents more than 100 major works from Sidney Nolan’s formative Australian years, before he moved to the United Kingdom in 1953.

A central highlight is the 1946–47 Ned Kelly series, one of the most recognisable bodies of work in Australian art. The exhibition is a strong starting point for understanding Nolan’s visual language and the mythology, landscape and history that shaped his early career.

Also at the Art Gallery of NSW, And Still I Rise presents 20 culturally diverse, internationally recognised women artists based in Australia. The exhibition is named after Maya Angelou’s poetry collection and highlights practices that connect personal experience, cultural memory and contemporary art.

Drawing beyond the page

Near at Hand: Dobell Australian Drawing Biennial 2026 is one of the most interesting exhibitions to see at the Art Gallery of NSW this October. Running from September 12 to March 7, 2027, it features 11 contemporary artists from across Australia.

The biennial explores drawing as an intimate and expansive practice. Artists work with materials ranging from pencil, pastel and watercolour to light and thread, extending drawing beyond paper and into sculpture and installation.

For anyone interested in process, mark-making and the quiet side of contemporary art, this is a particularly strong exhibition to visit.

Ceramics and handmade art

Sydney’s October programme also highlights ceramics, both in museum contexts and independent galleries.

• Jordan Gower: Does the moon know the well? is the first institutional exhibition by South Australian ceramic artist Jordan Gower.

• ສູ້ສູ້ Sou Sou at the Art Gallery of NSW presents around 150 works by Sydney artist Mechelle Bounpraseuth, including large-scale ceramic works connected to Lao culture, ritual and intergenerational storytelling.

• One Vessel, One Realm brings together 13 local ceramic artists in a celebration of contemporary craftsmanship and handmade objects.

• Zi Xin’s solo exhibition at CBD Gallery draws on visual language from both Eastern and Western cultures.

These exhibitions make Sydney a good destination for anyone interested in the renewed attention to craft, materiality and ceramics within contemporary art.

Contemporary art at the MCA

At the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Connections: MCA x Tate brings together contemporary art from the collections of MCA Australia and Tate Modern.

The exhibition is a useful way to see Australian and international contemporary art in dialogue. It is also a good counterpoint to the historical focus of Nolan: Origins, showing how contemporary artists work across installation, moving image, photography and social themes.

Another major MCA project is Ai Weiwei: Mushrooms, a monumental new installation calling for peace. The MCA also opens Robyn Kahukiwa: My Ancestors Are Always With Me on October 14, a survey of the artist’s work running until February 7, 2027.

Public art and sculpture

From October 16 to November 2, Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2026 returns to Sydney’s coastal walk. The annual exhibition places contemporary sculpture along the Bondi to Tamarama route, making it one of the city’s most accessible art experiences.

It is a good complement to the museum programme: after seeing painting, drawing and ceramics indoors, visitors can encounter large-scale sculpture against the coastline.

How to plan your visit

For a focused art day, start at the Art Gallery of New South Wales with Nolan: Origins, Near at Hand and And Still I Rise. The gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended hours until 10 p.m. on Wednesdays.

For a second visit, head to the MCA for Connections: MCA x Tate and Ai Weiwei: Mushrooms, then finish with Sculpture by the Sea if you are in Sydney after October 16. Together, these exhibitions show Sydney’s art scene at its most varied: historical Australian painting, contemporary drawing, ceramics, international contemporary art and sculpture in public space.

Tokyo Art in October 2026: Turner, Photography and Marie Antoinette

October is a strong month for art in Tokyo. The city’s programme combines a major J.M.W. Turner exhibition, contemporary photography festivals and exhibitions, and a wide-ranging show on Marie Antoinette’s influence on fashion and visual culture.

Here’s what to see in Tokyo and nearby Yokohama this month.

Turner at the National Museum of Western Art

Turner: Painting the Sublime, in Dialogue with Contemporary Art opens at the National Museum of Western Art on October 24 and runs until February 21, 2027. The exhibition draws primarily on the Tate collection and brings together more than 80 works by J.M.W. Turner.

The show is organised around themes rather than a strict chronology, exploring Turner’s enduring interest in light, nature, atmosphere and the sublime. It also places his work in dialogue with later and contemporary artists, making it relevant for visitors interested in both British Romantic painting and contemporary responses to landscape.

For anyone interested in painting, landscape and the emotional power of light, this is the major museum exhibition to see in Tokyo this autumn.

Photography across the city

Tokyo’s October programme is especially rich in photography.

T3 Photo Festival Tokyo returns for its eighth edition from October 3 to 26. One of Japan’s largest urban photography festivals, it takes place across multiple venues in Yaesu, Nihonbashi, Kyobashi and Ginza.

This year’s theme is “to”, the smallest conjunction in Japanese. The festival explores photography as a way of connecting people, places and worlds, with exhibitions and programmes featuring photographers and curators from international institutions.

At the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Duet: Asian Contemporary runs from September 30 to January 17, 2027. The exhibition presents photography and video by six artists from Japan and China, exploring contemporary image-making across the two countries.

The museum is also showing Senses Replicated — Daido Moriyama by Nagatani Laboratory, Nara Women’s University until October 18. Together, these exhibitions make Tokyo a particularly good city for photography this month.

Marie Antoinette at Yokohama

Just outside Tokyo, the Yokohama Museum of Art presents Marie Antoinette Style until November 23. The exhibition traces the visual world of Marie Antoinette and the lasting influence of her aesthetic on fashion, design and visual culture.

It brings together approximately 200 objects, including dresses, jewellery, furniture and paintings, some shown in Japan for the first time. The exhibition is a strong choice for visitors interested in eighteenth-century art, decorative arts, costume history and the continuing appeal of French court style.

Japanese art and Edo culture

For a different perspective, the Tokyo National Museum is showing Hiroshige: New Perspectives on Edo Japan from September 29 to December 20. The exhibition is presented in three parts, with the first running until October 25 and the second beginning on October 27.

The show commemorates the gift of the Uchiyama Susumu Collection and offers a new look at Hiroshige’s images of Edo-period Japan. It is a valuable complement to the Turner exhibition, offering two different approaches to landscape, atmosphere and the visual culture of the nineteenth century.

More exhibitions to consider

Tokyo’s October calendar also includes several exhibitions opening later in the month.

• The Strangers’ Gaze: Japanese Artists in Europe opens at the Artizon Museum on October 24.

• Turner: Painting the Sublime opens at the National Museum of Western Art on the same day.

• The Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum and the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo also have exhibitions on view this month.

• Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum hosts a range of exhibitions and art-association shows, including painting, Japanese painting, photography, crafts and printmaking.

How to plan your visit

For a focused day, visit the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum for Duet: Asian Contemporary, then explore the T3 Photo Festival venues around Yaesu, Nihonbashi, Kyobashi and Ginza.

If you are visiting after October 24, prioritise Turner: Painting the Sublime at the National Museum of Western Art, ideally paired with Hiroshige: New Perspectives on Edo Japan at the Tokyo National Museum. For a broader cultural itinerary, add Marie Antoinette Style at the Yokohama Museum of Art, which runs until November 23.

Together, these exhibitions show Tokyo’s art scene at its most varied: British Romantic painting, contemporary Asian photography, Edo-period art, fashion history and large-scale photography festivals.