The best art exhibitions in Melbourne this weekend

From Raphael’s 'Madonna and Child' to Louise Bourgeois’ 'Maman', the maternal bond has long been one of art’s most enduring subjects. And now, a new exhibition at the NGV, Mother: Stories from the NGV Collection, puts motherhood firmly in the frame, bringing together more than 200 historical and contemporary works to examine how the experience of being, becoming and relating to motherhood has been imagined across cultures, generations and media. Running from March 27 to July 12, 2026, at the NGV's Ian Potter Centre, Mother will span painting, sculpture, photography, weaving, decorative arts and moving image, moving beyond sentimental tropes to grapple with the realities and contradictions of motherhood – warts and all. Themes range from societal expectations and invisible labour to mythology, religion and the deep connections between motherhood, nature and Country for First Nations communities. A standout from the exhibit is Ruth O’Leary’s 'Flinders Street, 2017', created after the birth of her first child, in which a public photobooth becomes a makeshift studio: a poignant meditation on care and the blurred boundaries between public and private life. Other highlights include two new acquisitions by David Hockney, a moving image work by Hayley Millar Baker and a towering sculpture from 1893 by Betram Mackennal. The exhibition features works by an expansive roster of artists, including Louise Bourgeois, Tracey Emin, Camille Henrot, David Hockney, Tracey Moffatt, Iluwanti...

Traversing time and space, Wurrdha Marra is an ongoing exhibition celebrating the diversity of First Nations art and design. Since late 2023, the ground floor and foyer of the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia has become home to a dynamic and ever-changing exhibition space that displays masterpieces and never-before-shown works from the NGV’s First Nations collection. Translating to ‘many mobs’ in the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung language, Wurrdha Marra showcases pieces from emerging and established artists from across Australia, including Tony Abert, Treahna Hamn, Kent Morris, Marlene Gilson, Rover Thomas, Christian Thompson, Gary Lee, Nicole Monks, Gali Yalkarriwuy, Dhambit Mungunggurr, Nonggirrnga Marawili and more.  Highlights of the free exhibition include a large-scale installation of fish traps produced by Burrara women from Maningrida – the objects have been crafted over weeks using vines from the bush. Also on display is a new collection of contemporary resin boomerangs by Keemon Williams, a First Nations queer artist hailing from Meanjin/Brisbane. Another unseen work is titled History Repeats by Girramay/Yidinji/Kuku Yalanji contemporary artist Tony Albert, who has used mass-produced objects – from tea towels to ashtrays – to reframe Indigenous histories.  More recently, the exhibition has been updated to include the largest-ever display of the NGV's expansive collection of bark paintings. Bark Salon subverts the traditional European salons of the 18th and 19th...