Devotion – Sly Morikawa

Venue: China Heights
Location: Level 3 16-28 Foster St Surry Hills, NSW 2010
14 Aug - 13 Sep, 2026
Web: https://chinaheights.com/

Devotion is an ongoing series by Sly Morikawa documenting Sanja Matsuri, the annual Shinto festival held in Tokyo’s Asakusa district. First published as a photobook with Friend Editions (Jp) in 2024, the project captured the presence of yakuza families within the festival.

While the yakuza remain central to this new body of work, the series expands its focus to the rhythms and atmosphere of Sanja Matsuri itself: moments of anticipation and exhaustion, collective ritual, celebration, and quiet reflection.

Sly Morikawa is an artist and photographer whose sensitive, dreamlike photographs capture the intuitive interplay between intimacy and desire. Morikawa explores the dualities of the human experience—light and dark, calm and chaos, beauty and tension—by drawing on recurring themes of sex, subculture, and self. Through her depictions of the angelic and the unorthodox, she invites viewers to reflect on their own agency, whilst presenting a world in which one can suspend biases and taboos.

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May

PIX – The magazine that changed everything (1938-1972)

Sydney: Until 16 August 2026. 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.

1 Shakespeare Place, Sydney State Library of NSW | 1 May - 16 Aug, 2026

Rehearsing the City exhibition

Melbourne: Until March 2027. Rehearsing the City presents archival photographs from Victoria’s government collections, alongside new work by contemporary street photographers.

99 Shiel Street, North Melbourne VIC, Australia Victorian Archives Centre and Gallery | 21 May, 2026 - 31 Mar, 2027

June

Mervyn Bishop: Close Up

Sydney: Until 7 Feb 2027. From his archive of more than 200,000 images, Close Up celebrates the historic moments and pivotal people he famously captured.

1 Shakespeare Place Sydney NSW 2000 State Library of NSW | 1 Jun, 2026 - 7 Feb, 2027

Trent Parke: The Christmas tree bucket

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.

National Gallery of Australia (NGA) Parkes Place East, Parkes ACT 2600 | 1 Jun - 6 Sep, 2026

Brook Andrew | Rollercoaster: Winhangadurinya in motion

Melbourne: 6 June – 20 August 2026. Brook Andrew is an artist whose conceptual practice shifts across photography, performance, moving image, installation, public space and research, often through deep collaboration with artists, communities and friends.

860 Ferntree Gully Road Wheelers Hill Victoria 3150 Museum of Australian Photography | 6 Jun - 30 Aug, 2026

Through Muninjali eyes: photojournalist Wayne Coolwell

Brisbane: until 18 October 2026. Known affectionately as the ‘Cool Cat of journalism’ Wayne moved effortlessly among the greats, between the media and community, treating every encounter as part of his day’s work behind the lens.

Stanley Place, South Brisbane, QLD 4101 State Library of Queensland | 17 Jun - 18 Oct, 2026

July

Hydrangea Transitions

Melbourne: Until 30 Spetember 2026. Melbourne photographer Stefanie Wendler-Canning is inviting visitors to see one of the garden's most familiar flowers from an entirely different perspective in her new exhibition.

148 Drummond Street, Oakleigh, Vic, 3166 Oakleigh Library | 27 Jul - 30 Sep, 2026