The Look (group exhibition)

Geelong Gallery will present a powerful new exhibition from the National Portrait Gallery – The Look. The first venue on a national tour, and the only Victorian destination, the exhibition consists of 68 portraits that provide a comprehensive line-up of identities and styles. It features subjects from all walks of Australian life; young, old; Indigenous, non-Indigenous; women and men; household names, and people who may be completely unknown to many.

Bryan Brown, 2008 by Adam Knott. Collection: National Portrait Gallery.
Bryan Brown, 2008 by Adam Knott. Collection: National Portrait Gallery.

National Portrait Gallery (NPG) Curator, Joanna Gilmour explains that The Look highlights some of the most striking contemporary photographic portraits in the NPG collection.“The guiding curatorial principle for The Look has been to celebrate a diverse group of sitters who are united in owning and rocking their distinct ‘Look’.”

Megan Gale, 2002 by Ellen Dahl. Collection: National Portrait Gallery, Canberra.
Megan Gale, 2002 by Ellen Dahl. Collection: National Portrait Gallery, Canberra.

The works span five decades, from the George Spartels early 1970’s portrait by Ivan Gaal to Tilman Ruff 2019 by Nikki Toole, and include works by photographers Adam Knott, Julian Kingma, Michael Riley, Petrina Hicks, Tracey Moffatt, David Rosetzky, Ingvar Kenne, Andrew Maccoll, and many others. Famous faces in the exhibition include; Nicole Kidman, Heath Ledger, Carla Zampatti, Bryan Brown, Lee Lin Chin, Megan Gale, Cate Blanchett, Rachel Griffiths, Ian Thorpe and Layne Beachley just to name a few.

Entry prices apply: Adult $11 | Concession $9 | Members $8 | Child $6 | Family $28

Noni Hazlehurst, 1977 (printed 2011) by Lorrie Graham. Collection: National Portrait Gallery, Canberra.
Noni Hazlehurst, 1977 (printed 2011) by Lorrie Graham. Collection: National Portrait Gallery, Canberra.

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July

Sydney: Until 31 Dec 2025. PIX, Australia’s first pictorial news weekly, is brought to life in this exhibition, showcasing its archived images and stories for the very first time.

November

Canberra: Until 1 March 2026. Women photographers 1853–2018 highlights the transformative impact of women artists on the history of photography.

Canberra: Until 6 Sept 2026. Trent Parke’s photographic series The Christmas tree bucket 2006–09 is a tender and darkly humorous portrayal of his extended family coming together to celebrate Christmas.

Sydney: 7–30 November. The festival transforms Sydney into a photography haven with major exhibitions at Bondi Pavilion Gallery and outdoor displays throughout Paddington Reservoir Gardens and along Bondi Beach.

Sydney: Until 30 Nov 2025. Infranatura reveals the hidden beauty of Australia’s flora, exposing both its resilience and vulnerability, and exploring how light and perception shape our connection to nature today.

Sydney: Until 27 Nov. As part of the 2025 Head On Photo Festival, Sydney-based photographer Tony Maniaty is showing his latest monochrome work from recent trips to Japan, in an exhibition curated by Japan arts expert Kathryn Hunyor.

Melbourne: 28 Nov 2025 – 26 May 2026. The exhibition celebrates the wide-ranging photographic practices of more than eighty women artists working between 1900 and 1975.

December

Sydney: 4 Dec – 19 Dec 2025. The project brings together around 70 images over 50 metres of wall space, profiling a wide spectrum of practical action on climate