The Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA) today unveiled its 2026 artistic program, showcasing more than 200 artists in a bold and expansive four-season calendar of exhibitions, performances, screenings and studio residencies that reflect the pulse of contemporary practice in Western Australia and beyond. 

Setting the tone for the year, Season 1 (6 February – 29 March 2026) opens with four major Perth Festival exhibitions, connecting local stories with global conversations while tracing histories of water and cultural exchange across the Global South. 

Awakening Histories premieres in WA with more than 20 artists illuminating long-standing connections between northern Australia’s First Nations peoples and Makassan seafarers. Curated by an Australian–Indonesian curatorium, the exhibition spans new commissions, UNESCO-listed works and an expanded film program, featuring artists including Abdul-Rahman Abdullah (WA), Aziziah Diah Aprilya (Indonesia), Cian Dayrit (Philippines), Guan Wei (China), Jenna Lee (Larrakia, Wardaman and Karajarri), and Darrell Sibosado (Bard). 

In the West End Galleries, Painting Itself / 绘画本身, a world-premiere guest curated by Jonathan Nichols, brings together five leading artists from across Asia — Jon Chan (Singapore), Un Cheng and Chris Huen Sin-Kan (Hong Kong), Noor Mahnun (Malaysia) and Tang Dixin (China) — to rethink contemporary painting through a regional lens. 

The 2026 Judy Wheeler Commission, Soft Grates, will also be unveiled in Season 1, with Jen Berean and James Carey (Melbourne/Naarm) revealing the hidden water networks in and surrounding the PICA building through a three-part installation. Rounding out the season, PICA will launch its highly-anticipated inaugural boorda yeyi Immersive Arts Commission on 19 February with April Phillips’ + Friends with Computers Under Waters, a multi-sensory dive into oceans, stars and unseen worlds. 

Season 1 will launch with PICA After Hours on Thursday 5 February, transforming the building into a free, twilight opening featuring a live local line-up of alt-jazz improv musicians and an open bar from 6–8pm. The momentum carries into Weekends at PICA on Saturday 7 February with curator tours, storytelling sessions and artist talks. 

‘Our 2026 program signals a transformative moment for contemporary art in Western Australia. We continue to create spaces for dialogue and discovery. Sharing knowledge and participating in meaningful cultural exchange is central to PICA’s vision: to foster understanding, spark curiosity and build connections that transcend borders. By introducing local stories into global conversations, we’re shaping a future where creativity ignites important discussions and strengthens community‘, says PICA CEO, Hannah Mathews. 

PICA’s second season (18 April – 14 June 2026) focusses on First Nations voices, celebrating culture, Country and community under the guest curatorship of Whadjuk, Ballardong, Wilman Noongar curator Zali Morgan. Opening the season is All That Country Holds, an exhibition of new works by ten of the Kimberley’s most senior artists set to premiere at PICA following its international debut at the Australian Embassy in Washington DC. Revealed: New and Emerging WA Aboriginal Artists delivered under the custodianship of the Aboriginal Arts Hub of Western Australia (AACHWA) also returns with an exciting showcase of emerging talent from over 100 artists from across the state. 

Season 3 (1 August – 4 October 2026) looks to the future with PICA’s iconic Hatched: National Graduate Show, showcasing Australia’s most promising emerging artists, curated by Hatched Curatorial Associate Mia Palmer-Verevis. Celebrating 35 years in 2026, Hatched has championed more than 1,400 early-career artists, among them Venice Biennale artists Khaled Sabsabi and Archie Moore. The season features the $50,000 Dr Harold Schenberg Arts Awards — Australia’s most significant prize pool for emerging artists — with artists selected by an industry panel, including: Tina Stefanou (artist, Hatched alum 2020), Guy Louden (Artbank, WA), Georgia Hayward (curator, PICA). The upcoming cohort of Hatched artists will be announced in June 2026, consisting of up to 25 artists from 21 tertiary art schools across the country. 

PICA’s fourth season (17 October – 20 December 2026) closes the year with bold new commissions by Australian artists. Circular Economies, curated by Miranda Johnson and presented in partnership with SPACED, brings together five local, national and international artists and collectives to connect the stories of WA’s vast regions with Perth audiences, revealing the unique and sustainable practices embedded in country life. In compliment, Cafe coming soon — a major mid-career survey of Western Australian artist Shannon Lyons — explores the intersections of art, architecture and hospitality through a $100,000 commission supported by Creative Australia. 

As a multidisciplinary organisation, performance remains central to PICA’s 2026 program, with works presented throughout the year including the world premiere of Zoology by Too Close To The Sun (Season 1) at WA Museum Boola Bardip (as part of the Australian Performing Arts Market). A building wide, progressive performance evening of works by Grace Connors, Barbara Hostalek, Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa and Sarah Rodigari in On Labour: Four Live Works that reflect on the cost of living crises (Season 2) and the debut of a newly commissioned choreographic work by a WA artist alongside a national peer in Restore with STRUT Dance (Season 2). 

PICA’s 2026 program is amplified by accessible creative learning activities and a dynamic program of events, including artist-led workshops, panel discussions, film screenings and open studios. PICA also hosts WA’s largest studio program for artists, supporting over 50 local and visiting creatives in 2026.