Image: Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
The Art Gallery of South Australia has acquired 13 works presented in the 2026 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, extending a long-standing relationship between the exhibition and the museum’s contemporary Australian collection. The acquisitions include works by Matthew Teapot Djipurrtjun, d harding, Milminyina Dhamarrandji, Josina Pumani, Julie Nangala Robertson, Mark Maurangi Carrol and Nathan Beard.
The Adelaide Biennial has historically served as a vehicle through which the Art Gallery of South Australia, or AGSA, grows its holdings of contemporary art. The 2026 acquisitions span sculpture, painting and works from a series, although the announcement does not provide individual dates, materials or dimensions for the pieces. They include Matthew Teapot Djipurrtjun’s ‘Wodhalyu dhäwu (The Story of Wodhal)’, two sculptural works by d harding and four works by Milminyina Dhamarrandji.
The remainder of the group comprises Josina Pumani’s ‘Black Mist’, Julie Nangala Robertson’s ‘Mina Mina Jukurrpa’ and Mark Maurangi Carrol’s ‘Titikaveka (Aka va'a) (to cause openings to cut or make gaps in space)’. Three works from Nathan Beard’s ‘Untitled (Ciceroni)’ series have also entered the collection. The announcement does not state when the newly acquired works will be placed on public display.
Founded in 1881, AGSA is home to a collection of almost 47,000 works of art and design. Its holdings include an extensive Australian collection, with works by Aboriginal and South Australian artists, alongside contemporary art and European and Asian collections. The gallery is located at 490 North Terrace in Adelaide, on Kaurna land, and presents displays spanning thousands of years of human history as well as temporary exhibitions and public programmes.
The Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art was conceived in 1990 as part of the Adelaide Festival. According to the gallery’s announcement, the biennial has since created career-defining opportunities for close to 500 artists and has been experienced by more than two million visitors. The 2026 edition is titled ‘Yield Strength’; the acquisition announcement identifies the 13 works as part of that exhibition but does not provide its exhibition dates or further details about its presentation.
General entry to the Art Gallery of South Australia is free, although charges may apply for some exhibitions. The gallery is open daily from 10am to 5pm, except on 25 December.
