5 Dec 2025
Experience Australia’s largest Ron Mueck exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales this summer
Opening tomorrow and exclusive to Sydney, the Art Gallery of New South Wales presents Ron Mueck: Encounter, the largest exhibition of the internationally acclaimed Australian sculptor ever shown in the country.
Celebrated for his vividly lifelike figures and remarkable shifts in scale, Ron Mueck (born 1958, Melbourne; lives England) has reshaped the language of contemporary figurative sculpture. Encounter brings together nearly a third of Mueck’s exceptional output over a three-decade career, featuring major works sourced from public and private collections across Australia, Europe, Asia and North America – most never before seen in Australia.
The exhibition traces the emotional and psychological terrain for which Mueck is renowned – moments of vulnerability, connection and solitude rendered with astonishing precision. At the heart of the exhibition is the world premiere of Havoc 2025, a powerful new immersive sculpture created especially for Sydney. This monumental installation draws visitors into a tense, cinematic stand-off between two packs of colossal dogs – an unsettling, urgent reflection on the anxieties that shape our times.
Art Gallery of New South Wales director Maud Page said: ‘Ron Mueck is one of Australia’s most important living artists, having achieved incredible international success over the past 30 years. Encounter offers a rare chance to experience the depth and ambition of his practice on home soil, and to witness the debut of a major new work that reflects his evolving practice and resonates powerfully with the tensions of our world today.’
Minister for Jobs and Tourism Steve Kamper said: ‘Ron Mueck’s work has captivated audiences around the world, and this new exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales for the Sydney International Art Series will give visitors the unique opportunity to experience his extraordinary sculptures.
‘Major cultural events like the Sydney International Art Series not only enrich our state’s vibrant arts and culture scene but also attract visitors from across the country and the globe, boosting our local economy and showcasing NSW as Australia’s leading destination for world-class experiences.’
A handsomely illustrated new publication accompanies the exhibition, including an extended essay by the exhibition curator and senior curator of exhibitions at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Jackie Dunn, detailed entries on the 15 exhibited artworks and intimate photographs by French photographer Gautier Deblonde, documenting behind-the-scenes moments in the development of Havoc at Mueck’s studio in the Isle of Wight.
To celebrate the launch of Ron Mueck: Encounter, the Art Gallery will present a vibrant series of free public programs during opening week to immerse audiences in Mueck’s world of curious bodies, strange scale and powerful emotions. On Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 December at 2pm, and Wednesday 10 December from 6.30pm, visitors can join a curator introduction to the exhibition – a welcoming, in-gallery overview of Mueck’s enchanting practice, including insights into the making of Havoc 2025. Free with exhibition entry and no bookings required, these sessions offer an inside perspective on one of Australia’s most celebrated contemporary artists.
On Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 December from 11am, and Wednesday 10 December from 6pm, Meers Hall will come alive with The big draw: bodies and space, a drop-in program for all ages inspired by the intimate gestures and dramatic scale shifts in Mueck’s work. Visitors can take part in playful drawing workshops, a five-minute portrait ‘face-off’ with a stranger, or a lively tableau vivant activity where families and friends can create their own ‘living pictures’. All materials are provided, and participants can join at any time.
Families can also enjoy a dedicated Kids drop-in workshop: dog sculptures on Sunday 7 December from 10am to 5pm. Taking inspiration from the larger-than-life canines starring in Havoc 2025, young artists can craft their own mini dog sculptures using wire and air-dry clay. This free hands-on activity explores texture, scale and expression, and every child can take home their own creature. No bookings required.
In January, the Art Gallery presents a special performance commissioned for Art After Hours, FUNERAL GAMES, by acclaimed independent theatre company re:group performance collective. Held on Wednesday 7, 14 and 21 January 2026 at 7.30pm, this ticketed production responds directly to Ron Mueck: Encounter, exploring both ends of the human life cycle: a woman prepares to welcome her first child while grieving her dying father. Accompanied by a soaring live score from songwriter and sound designer Alyx Denison, this gently elegiac work invites audiences into a space of listening, witnessing and reflection. Presented in a relaxed setting and available for a limited season only, FUNERAL GAMES offers an intimate summer performance experience. Bookings required, tickets include with exhibition entry.
Ron Mueck: Encounter is exclusively on show at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from 6 December 2025 to 12 April 2026. Tickets are now on sale, including discounted 2-for-1 tickets on Wednesday evenings for Art After Hours and the Art Pass, which grants entry to both Ron Mueck: Encounter and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia’s Sydney International Art Series 2025–26 exhibition Data Dreams: Art and AI.
For more information and to book tickets, visit the Art Gallery website.
The Sydney International Art Series is a NSW Government initiative through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW, in collaboration with the Art Gallery of New South Wales and Museum of Contemporary Art Australia to bring the world’s most outstanding international artists and their works exclusively to Sydney.