The next generation of Victoria’s creative talent will take centre stage this year as Top Arts 2026 returns to The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia from 13 March to 19 July, showcasing an inspiring collection of works by some of the state’s most accomplished young artists.
CommunityThe Future of Creativity
Next ArticleThe Future of Creativity
07 July 2026
Now in its 32nd year, the annual exhibition has become one of the National Gallery of Victoria’s most anticipated community and education initiatives, highlighting the creativity, imagination and technical skill of students who have excelled in their VCE art studies. This year’s exhibition features 43 students selected from more than 1,100 submissions across metropolitan and regional Victoria, with works spanning painting, photography, sculpture, fashion, textiles and digital art.
The 2026 exhibition explores themes ranging from identity and memory to the natural world and contemporary culture. Among the featured works is Lex Blockey’s Transformations: A reflection of identity, a couture-inspired fashion piece drawing on sixteenth to eighteenth-century European silhouettes and traditional handmade techniques to explore modern perspectives on gender identity.
Another standout is flow by Sandringham College student Dylan Hopkins, the first interactive digital artwork to be included in a Top Arts exhibition. Combining art with computer science, the immersive work uses digital software and 3D rendering to create moving particles that respond to audience interaction, inviting visitors into a calming and playful visual experience.
Many of the exhibited works also reflect deep connections to place and community. First Nations artist Rome Jowett-Crociani’s suspended painting BOODJURA (fire sticks) honours Indigenous cultural burning practices and teachings passed down through family, while Oscar Cooke’s photographic series Mountains to Oceans captures the enduring relationship between surf communities and the coastline.
NGV Director Tony Ellwood AM described the exhibition as a celebration of “the creativity and vision of Victoria’s most talented young artists”, while also recognising the important role exhibitions like Top Arts play in supporting the state’s future creative leaders.
Free to attend, Top Arts 2026 offers visitors a unique opportunity to experience the perspectives and ideas shaping Victoria’s emerging creative generation.
Learn More: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/top-arts-2026/
