Eight regional Australian communities are finding new inspiration from artworks on loan from the National Gallery of Australia.

A statue of a man made from candle wax.
1. Urs Fischer, Francesco, 2017, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased with the assistance of the National Gallery of Australia Gala Fun 2019, © Urs Fischer. Courtesy of the artist and Sadie Coles HQ, London.

The Sharing the National Collection (StNC) initiative allows regional Australian galleries to temporarily display groundbreaking artworks from the National Collection.

The 8 latest artworks on loan are:

  • Francesco, a 4-metre-high wax candle ‘portrait' by Urs Fischer is lighting up the Rockhampton Museum of Art then left to melt over several months until it is reduced to debris.
  • Batik textiles by First Nations artist Angkuna Kulyuru and by an unknown Javanese maker are delighting visitors to FABRIK Arts + Heritage.
  • Paradisus Terrestris (1989-90), a collection of 23 works by Fiona Hall AO is on display at Eastern Riverina Arts for the next 2 years.
  • Mikala Dwyer’s [wall painting] 2020 has been adapted into an exterior wall installation at Goulburn Regional Art Gallery. The wall mural will be on display for the next 3 years.
  • Cloud B#3, a sculpture created by Guan Wei, is on loan to Warwick Art Gallery for the next 2 years.
  • I Am, 2016 by Andrew Rogers has a new temporary home in the Museum of Art and Culture yapang (MAC yapang) sculpture garden, on the shores of Lake Macquarie.
  • A landscape of Magnetic Island by Arthur Streeton is on a long-term loan to Perc Tucker Regional Gallery in Townsville. The painting provides a glimpse into the natural history of the area by one of the leading figures in Australian Impressionism.
  • Works from Agatha Gothe-Snape’s and Lawrence Weiner will be loaned to Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) for 2 years. The pieces will headline the museum’s upcoming exhibition The Writing’s on the Wall.

The StNC initiative is providing $11.8 million over 4 years to fund the costs of transporting, installing and insuring works in the national art collection to be enjoyed right across Australia. The initiative has already supported 333 works of art being loaned to 42 institutions across every Australian state and territory.

Regional and suburban cultural institutions can register their interest in the program on the National Gallery of Australia's website.