A major new exhibition at the Newcastle Art Gallery brings together more than a decade of works by acclaimed contemporary artist Brian Robinson. Multiverse is a substantial survey of the artist’s practice, bringing together works that are rich in detail, ambitious in scale and expansive in their imagination.
Over the past decade, Robinson has developed a distinctive visual language that draws together Torres Strait Islander cultural knowledge, mythology, history, science fiction, popular culture and cosmological wonder.
In Multiverse, his monumental linocuts and vinyl-cuts are presented alongside sculptural works and immersive digital experiences, creating a wide-ranging exploration of storytelling across time, place and culture.
Brian Robinson’s Multiverse – quick links
Inside the multiverse
At the heart of Robinson’s practice is a worldview deeply informed by his heritage. ‘My Torres Strait Islander heritage isn’t something I add to my work,’ he says. ‘It is the lens through which I see the world. Every line I carve, every pattern I repeat, every story I tell begins with the tides, the winds and the stars of Zenadth Kes.’
This forms the very foundation of Multiverse. Robinson’s works are not simply art objects; they are vessels for cultural knowledge, storytelling and exploration.
‘Our ancestors understood that the sea was never just water and the sky was never simply above us; both are living archives of knowledge,’ he says. ‘My work is an extension of that understanding, where culture remains alive, adapting and continuing to speak to new generations.’
Robinson creates worlds where multiple histories, belief systems and cultural references can coexist. Indigenous storytelling sits alongside biblical narratives, scientific discovery intersects with mythology, and familiar pop culture characters share space with ancestral knowledge.
Rather than creating a chaotic collision of ideas, these influences come together to form a carefully orchestrated conversation across cultures and generations.
The exhibition invites visitors into Robinson’s imaginative world, a universe populated by sea creatures, celestial bodies, superheroes, creation stories and historical figures, and that is brimming with unexpected encounters. It invites you to move between multiple systems of knowledge, where the boundaries between past and future, local and global, sacred and playful, feel porous and open to exploration.
Building worlds within the exhibition
Newcastle Art Gallery Director Lauretta Morton OAM says, ‘Multiverse is a considered survey of Robinson’s practice over the past decade. It celebrates the work of a nationally significant artist at the top of his field.’
The exhibition showcases the breadth of Robinson’s practice. His large-scale linocuts and vinyl-cuts balance intricate detail with striking composition, while sculptural works and immersive digital experiences expand the possibilities of storytelling in unexpected ways.
As Robinson says, ‘Over time my practice has become less about making individual artworks and more about building worlds. That’s why the title Multiverse feels so fitting. Every artwork becomes another dimension connected to the same cultural constellation.’
ArtsHub: Newcastle Art Gallery’s stunning new exhibitions open up a multiverse
The exhibition’s animation component introduces a dynamic new dimension to Robinson’s practice. ‘Animation allows the work to return to its original state, as living knowledge,’ he says.
‘Torres Strait culture has always been carried through movement: in dance, ceremony, tides, winds and the stars overhead. Digital animation simply becomes another way of continuing that tradition.’
Across the exhibition, the works reveal themselves gradually. At first glance, visitors encounter dramatic compositions, bold contrasts and extraordinary technical skill. Layers of meaning then emerge through intricate Torres Strait Islander patterning, references to global popular culture, visual humour and symbolic detail. Each artwork becomes an invitation to look more closely, and to think more deeply.
Expanding Newcastle’s cultural landscape
The exhibition is also a significant milestone for Newcastle Art Gallery, which reopened less than a year ago following a major redevelopment and expansion that more than doubled its exhibition space. Morton says the public response to the gallery’s reopening has exceeded expectations.
‘It’s been nothing short of remarkable,’ she says. ‘We have welcomed more than 100,000 visitors since reopening in late September last year, surpassing our previous annual visitation record. And we’ve welcomed visitors from 38 countries across six continents, reflecting our ambition to be a major cultural destination for New South Wales.’
The gallery officially reopened in February this year, becoming the largest public art institution in the state outside Sydney and ushering in a bold new chapter for Newcastle’s cultural landscape.
Currently, alongside Multiverse, visitors can also experience two other major exhibitions. Mouth Mnemonica is the first institutional solo exhibition by Newcastle-based artist Tiyan Baker. It is centred around a newly-commissioned multi-channel video work and engages with the endangered Bukar language of Sarawak.
The Mordant Family Gift celebrates the largest gift made by leading Australian philanthropists Simon Mordant AO and Catriona Mordant AM to a single institution. Presenting 25 works by 16 Australian and international artists from their private collection, this is the first time these significant works have been displayed together. The exhibition offers moments of reflection, encouraging visitors to slow down and approach the world with renewed curiosity.
‘The new exhibitions currently on display speak to one another in interesting ways,’ says Morton. ‘They perfectly encapsulate our vision to be locally grounded, nationally engaged and globally minded at every touch-point possible.’
Looking ahead
The gallery’s exciting 2026 program continues with a major exhibition by globally recognised and Newcastle-based artist Angela Tiatia in September, which will open alongside Newcastle’s flagship arts festival New Annual.
There is also a world-first solo exhibition by artist and national icon Anh Do from November. ‘This brings together his celebrity portraits, Archibald Prize entries, character sketches from his award-winning books, and new landscapes, offering audiences an intimate insight into his distinctive visual world,’ says Morton.
This exhibition program reflects Newcastle Art Gallery’s commitment to presenting contemporary art that speaks to both local and global audiences, and highlights the gallery’s growing role within Australia’s cultural landscape. As Morton says, the goal is placing local artists in dialogue with nationally and internationally recognised practitioners.
‘It’s very important to the gallery team that we tell ambitious stories in a way that is connected and relevant to our local audiences,’ says Morton. ‘We are so proud of our community, and we believe that our local artists deserve a place alongside internationally recognised artists, and our community deserves open access to global art perspectives,’ she says.
Newcastle Art Gallery’s collection is one of the finest in the country with over 7000 works valued at $145 million.
‘We believe that art can be both a mirror, a way to reflect the world around you, and a window, a way to see new perspectives and worlds,’ says Morton. ‘We hope that our audiences leave the gallery changed by their visit, having discovered something new about themselves or the world around them.’
