Image: National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
The National Gallery of Australia will send Richard Lewer’s ‘Steve’ on a national tour beginning at Port Pirie Regional Gallery in South Australia on 28 August and continuing until 8 November 2026. The work, described by the Gallery as a gentle exploration of a family coming to terms with a dementia diagnosis, combines an animated film made from thousands of paintings with a suite of paintings on domestic tabletops.
According to the Gallery, ‘Steve’ tells the story of Steve and his family as they cope with the impact of his illness and the changes to their lives. The animation is presented alongside paintings drawn from Lewer’s life, a visual counterpoint that frames the domestic table as a place where ordinary routines and major life events unfold. The Gallery notes that the table becomes a site where dinners are held, bills are paid and funerals are arranged.
Lewer is presented in the Gallery’s material as a visual storyteller whose work focuses on the complexities of the human condition. The Gallery also points to his longstanding interest in the relationship between art and health. In the accompanying artist comment, Lewer says, “every now and again as an artist a special moment comes along that allows you to make a work that will touch so many people’s lives, and for that moment perhaps they don’t feel so alone.”
The Gallery’s Art and Dementia program provides additional context for the work. Since 2007, the National Gallery says it has led research-informed programs for people living with dementia, and it says its outreach training has helped establish a nationwide network of galleries delivering socially engaging programs for people living with dementia. These programs are supported by the Gallery’s access partner, the Lansdowne Foundation.
The exhibition page lists ‘Steve’ as a touring exhibition and records a multi-venue itinerary after its South Australian opening. Following Port Pirie, the tour is scheduled for Redcliffe Art Gallery in Queensland from 21 November 2026 to 21 February 2027; Maitland Regional Art Gallery in New South Wales from 6 March to 13 June 2027; Tweed Regional Gallery in New South Wales from 3 September to 28 November 2027; Manningham Art Gallery in Victoria from 10 December 2027 to 1 April 2028; John Curtin Gallery in Western Australia from 14 April to 23 July 2028; and Ngununggula in New South Wales from 5 August to 1 December 2028.
The National Gallery’s listing identifies ‘Steve’ as a work of art purchased by the Gallery in 2024 and dated 2023–24. The exhibition page also directs visitors to related online material, including a short artist video published on 2 July 2026 and a longer reading item titled ‘How to Remember’, which explores how Lewer came to create the animation and suite of paintings. The touring presentation extends a work that the Gallery has positioned within both its collection and its broader access programming.
