The National 2021 Presents New Australian Art
The collaborative exhibition spans three venues and showcases 39 artists.
By Terry Christodoulou
Mon, Nov 16, 2020 6:02am
3 min
3 min
In the third edition of a six-year initiative presented in 2017 and 2019, the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), Carriageworks and The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) has announced The National 2021: New Australian Art.
The collaborative exhibition sees four curators bring together 39 exhibiting artists, collectives and collaboratives while connecting three of Sydney’s key cultural precincts.
The exhibition will display new and commissioned works by leading contemporary artists from around the country – including those in remote communities such as Aṉangu Pitjant-jatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY Lands), Yirrkala in north-east Arnhem Land, Zendah Kes (Torres Strait Islands), and Belyuen, on the north-west coast of the Northern Territory.
A combination of emerging, mid-career and established artists will represent overlapping themes of environment, planetary responsibility, global uncertainty, our relationship to country, collaboration and inter-generational learning across a diverse range of media including painting, photography, film, sculpture, textiles, installations and performance.
Co-curators Matt Cox and Erin Vink, of AGNSW, are presenting 14 artist projects with a view to frame art’s potential to heal and care for the natural and social ecosystems.
“The National 2021 at AGNSW will examine different modes of care: how it engenders our relationships with each other, how we navigate these relationships, and in turn the relationships we have with sentient Country,” says Cox and Vink.
Photo: Zan Wimberley
Elsewhere, Carriageworks will bring together over 40 artists to produce 13 projects – responding to the key issues of our time – emphasising sociality, collaborative enquiry and works that speak to history and experiences of place.
“The artists are connected across generations and brought together by a spirit of collaboration,” says curator Abigail Moncrieff. “With an attention to the present moment, many of the works consider responsibility and lived experience through psychological and intuitive responses, alongside some of the most urgent and activist voices from around Australia.”
Further, thirteen artists consider diverse approaches to the environment, storytelling and inter-generational learning through their works in The National 2021 at the MCA.
“Unseen physical forces – wind, gases, emissions – power some works, while others transform plant matter, kangaroo teeth, echidna quills and plastic waste into powerful statements,” says MCA chief curator Rachel Kent.
The National 2021: New Australian Art runs from 26 March – 5 September 2021 at AGNSW; 26 March – 20 June 2021 at Carriageworks and 26 March – 22-August 2021 at MCA. Entry is free at the three institutions.
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A resurgence in high-end travel to Egypt is being driven by museum openings, private river journeys and renewed long-term investment along the Nile.
In the lead-up to the country’s biggest dog show, a third-generation handler prepares a gaggle of premier canines vying for the top prize.
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A resurgence in high-end travel to Egypt is being driven by museum openings, private river journeys and renewed long-term investment along the Nile.
By Jeni O'Dowd
Tue, Feb 3, 2026 2 min
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Abercrombie & Kent says demand for Egypt is rising sharply across its key markets, with the destination now ranking among the company’s top performing regions for 2026.
The luxury travel group reports strong year-on-year growth across the UK, US and Australia, spanning private journeys, small group itineraries and high-end celebration travel.
Some Egypt itineraries in the US market have more than doubled compared with last year, while forward bookings already extend into 2027.
Industry observers point to a renewed confidence in Egypt as a destination, underpinned by significant cultural investment and a growing appetite for deeper, more personalised travel experiences.
One of the main catalysts has been the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, located beside the Giza Plateau.
The museum, the largest in the world dedicated to a single civilisation, brings together the full collection of Tutankhamun’s treasures for the first time and has reignited interest in Cairo as a standalone cultural destination rather than a gateway stop.
Abercrombie & Kent’s Senior Vice President, Egypt, Amr Badr, said: “The opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum has been transformative – we’ve seen a significant surge in enquiries since November, and the calibre of traveller is remarkable.
“These are culturally curious guests seeking genuine immersion rather than surface-level touring.
“They’re booking private after-hours access to the museum, arranging consultations with Egyptologists, and approaching Egypt with the same intentionality they’d bring to any major cultural pilgrimage.
“Egypt has always been extraordinary, but 2026 feels like a renaissance moment – the perfect convergence of world-class infrastructure and a new generation discovering why this civilisation has captivated humanity for millennia.”
According to Abercrombie & Kent, British travellers are increasingly pairing museum-led experiences in Cairo with classic Nile journeys, while demand is also rising for private dahabiya charters and bespoke river itineraries.
In Australia, repeat high-spend travellers are returning to Egypt for milestone celebrations, often opting for private touring and exclusive access experiences.
The company is responding with further long-term investment along the Nile. Later this year it will launch Nile Seray, a new luxury riverboat that will feature in a private journey debuting in 2026.
A second vessel has already been commissioned, signalling confidence in sustained demand for high-end river travel in the region.
Egypt occupies a central place in the company’s history. Founder Geoffrey Kent first introduced Nile cruising to the brand in the late 1970s with the SS Memnon, laying the foundations for what has since become one of its most enduring destinations.
Nile Seray is now accepting reservations for departures from October 2026, with four-night voyages priced from USD $3,125 per person.
