Ron Mueck returns to Australia with a major new exhibition

Ron Mueck: Encounter

Since first revitalising figurative sculpture in the late 1990s with his exquisitely crafted realism, Ron Mueck (born Melbourne, 1958) continues his profound observation of human experiences and emotions. His captivating figures, scaled from the minute to the monumental, embody themes such as birth and death, alienation and togetherness, tenderly inviting us to explore our relationship with the world.

Ron Mueck: Encounter is the largest exhibition by the artist ever to be presented in Australia, and comprises sculptures drawn from across the globe, most never before seen in this country. At its heart is a new immersive work created for the occasion, Havoc. Enigmatic, menacing and intense, this is a colossal work of disquieting power that draws us in to an intimate and ominous space.

This exhibition invites the viewer to form relationships with Mueck’s sculptures through encounters that are viscerally physical. Drawing the artist’s past sculptures into dialogue with the new, the show reflects on the sensitivity and significance of Mueck’s work within our tense and anxious contemporary times.

The exhibition is accompanied by an illustrated publication, exploring the evolution of Mueck’s practice and celebrating the development of Havoc.

A Sydney-exclusive for summer 2025–26, Ron Mueck: Encounter is the first significant solo exhibition on home soil in over a decade by this popular Australian artist – and the first in Sydney since 2003.

This exhibition is part of Sydney International Art Series, made possible with the support of the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.

Ron Mueck - Encounter

6 December 2025 – 12 April 2026
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Naala Badu building, Lower level 2
Charges apply

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