Mitch Cairns: Artist’s Mouth

From 1 May to 11 July 2026, the National Art School Gallery will present Mitch Cairns: Artist's Mouth, a major survey exhibition of work by Sydney-based painter and Archibald Prize winner Mitch Cairns, celebrating his twenty-year artistic career since graduating from the National Art School (NAS) in 2006. It features some 48 works, mostly from institutional and private collections, including a still life made as a graduating student and his 2017 Archibald Prize–winning portrait of partner and fellow artist Agatha Gothe-Snape. Also marking the 20th anniversary of NAS Gallery, this is the largest and most comprehensive show of his work to date. 

A joint project by NAS Gallery and Meanjin/Brisbane’s Institute of Modern Art (IMA), it will be shown at IMA from 10 October to 20 December 2026. 

Curated by NAS Gallery Curator Lucy Latella and IMA Director Robert Leonard, Artist’s Mouth traces Cairns’ evolution, reflecting his ongoing engagement with the poetics of daily life and his artistic heroes. 

Cairns’ work has been exhibited at major institutions across Australia, with his recent solo exhibitions Restless Legs (2025) at the Art Gallery of New South Wales and Wollongong Art Gallery. His works are held in national collections including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Art Gallery of South Australia, Queensland Art Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Murdoch University Art Collection and Monash University Museum of Art, as well as private collections in Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand, and the United States.