When it comes to art, Adelaide punches above its weight. With an extraordinary collection of First Nations art, the Art Gallery of South Australia’s stunning permanent collection, and a focus on supporting emerging artists, right now SA’s art scene is stronger than ever.
Here – in chronological order – are the best art exhibitions in Adelaide.
From birthday cakes and religious ceremonies to power outages, candles are integral to how humans across the world live their lives. Flame at the Jam Factory brings together ten diverse artists to respond to the historical, cultural, and spiritual significance of candles, light, and fire.
Flame runs until November 24 at the Jam Factory.
Step into a life-sized re-creation of First Nations artist Archie Moore’s childhood home in Samstag’s Archie Moore: Dwelling. Commissioned by the 2024 Adelaide Film Festival, the exhibition (which centres on the Golden-Lion-winning artist) merges video works and immersive installations to transport you into the realm of memory. Sound, smell, touch, and sight all come into play in this meditation on historic institutional racism.
Archie Moore: Dwelling runs until November 29 at Samstag Museum of Art.
Contemporary art will take centre stage at Studios: 2024. Five female artists will take over the gallery to showcase pieces developed during their one-year residency. Working across a myriad of different media, this diverse and exciting show celebrates the next generation of South Australian artists.
Studios: 2024 will run from November 9 until December 14 at ACE (Adelaide Contemporary Experimental).
In the market for art? Look no further than Wish You Were Here, Adelaide Central School of Art’s annual fundraising event. Showcasing postcard-sized artworks from both established and emerging artists, the exhibition offers an opportunity to snap up art for just $80.
Wish You Were Here runs from November 10 until November 15 at the Adelaide Central Gallery.
The historic Carrick Hill Estate has transformed into a poetic and intriguing meditation on space for Adelaide-based artist Bridget Currie’s Each One a World. Currie interweaves sculptural and pictorial practice with pieces placed throughout the estate. Like a maze, this exhibition reveals new pathways and perspectives as you move through it.
Bridget Currie: Each One a World runs until January 5, 2025, at Carrick Hill Estate.
Textiles have historically been cast aside by the art world as a domestic hobby, but this year, the Art Gallery of South Australia is showcasing the medium’s expansive creativity in the upcoming exhibition Radical Textiles. From the historical weight of the AIDS Memorial Quilt to the dynamic designs of Iris van Herpen and Australia’s rich First Nations textile practice, Radical Textiles celebrates the enduring nature of textile practice.
Radical Textiles will run from November 23 until March 30, 2025, at the Art Gallery of South Australia.
Step back in time with the Art Gallery of South Australia’s free exhibition Reimagining the Renaissance. Over 140 Renaissance paintings, sculptures, works on paper, and decorative arts, drawn from AGSA’s private collections, are exhibited together to provide an overarching history of the Renaissance era.
Reimagining the Renaissance runs until April 13, 2025, at the Art Gallery of South Australia.
Renowned American glass artist Dale Chihuly’s shimmering sculptural works are coming to the Botanic Gardens. Emerging from garden beds and peeping out of waterways around the garden are 15 hand-blown glass installations, which visitors can explore for free as they walk a two-kilometre trail. Included in the exhibit are two new artworks created specifically for the site: Glacier Ice and Lapis Chandelier and Jet and Crimson Fiori. Inside the Bicentennial Conservatory, there’s an adjacent ticketed exhibition, In Full Colour: Dale Chihuly, which showcases works alongside insights into his life and the intricacies of touring such fragile pieces. It’s in this exhibition you’ll find Jet and Crimson Fiori which is inspired by the South Australian floral emblem, the Sturt dessert pea. Another ticketed event, Chihuly Nights, takes you through the gardens after dark to see the works transform under dramatic lighting.
Chihuly in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens runs until April 29, 2025 at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens.
Additional reporting by Lucy Bell Bird.
