One City, Many Stories: Why Canberra’s Summer Exhibitions Are Unmissable
Updated 16 Oct 2026
Plan your cultural escape now because this summer, Canberra is telling stories you won’t want to miss.
This summer, Canberra isn't just Australia's capital – it's a canvas of stories. From ancient civilisations and contemporary art to imaginative LEGO® worlds and First Nations storytelling, the city's galleries and museums are bringing together exhibitions that explore creativity, culture and connection. Whether you're drawn to thought-provoking artworks or immersive experiences, Canberra's exhibition scene offers a journey through many worlds – all within one city.
Full Throttle - National Gallery of Australia
5 December 2026 - 11 April 2027
Few symbols define the modern era as powerfully—or persistently—as the automobile. Fuelled by the legacy of the film Mad Max, Full Throttle presents the car as a lens through which to examine contemporary life.
The exhibition brings together artists who challenge the myths and meanings built around cars. From post-apocalyptic myth to suburban realism, the car is shown as a connector and divider, saviour, destroyer and muse. This exhibition does not glorify the automobile—it interrogates it.
Terracotta Warriors - National Museum of Australia
11 December 2026 - 2 May 2027
Journey to ancient China and come face to face with the imperial army that time could not defeat. More than 2,000 years old, the Terracotta Warriors are one of the great archaeological discoveries of the 20th century.
Amassed for the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shihuang, the warriors represent one man’s ambition, power and obsession with immortality.
Explore the mystery and wonder of what lies within the unopened tomb in an immersive experience, and take part in family-friendly digital interactives.
RELICS: A New World Rises - Canberra Museum + Gallery
19 September 2026 - 31 January 2027
RELICS: A New World Rises is an immersive exhibition where vintage objects become homes for intricate miniature worlds built from LEGO® bricks.
Created by LEGO® Masters winners Jackson Harvey and Alex Towler, RELICS combines sculpture, design, storytelling and nostalgia into an experience unlike a traditional museum exhibition or typical LEGO® display. The deeper you look, the more you discover.
Wangka Wakaṉutja: The Story of the Papunya Literature Production Centre - National Library of Australia
4 April 2026 - 31 January 2027
Between 1979 and 1990, the Papunya Literature Production Centre (PLPC) produced hundreds of Pintupi-Luritja bilingual readers guided by the community's Elders, among them pioneers of the Western Desert Art movement.
The readers – illustrated books – were produced as literacy tools for local schoolchildren and tell stories of first contact, Dreamings, community life, plants, animals and more. The exhibition, 'Wangka Wakaṉutja: The Story of the Papunya Literature Production Centre', brings the readers to life and builds on a recent exhibition on show at the Library and Archives NT in Darwin.
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