The NEW26 catalogue presents the work and ideas of the major commissioning exhibition at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA), on view from 18 September to 22 November 2026. Curated by Dr Shelley McSpedden and Sophie Prince, NEW26 brings together seven artists working at the forefront of contemporary practice: Amanda Bell, Amanda Bennetts, Nicholas Currie, Naveed Farro, Caesar Florence-Howard, Diego Ramírez and EJ Son. Their new commissions span painting, moving image, ceramics, sound, installation, writing and architectural intervention, reflecting key artistic and social preoccupations of our time.

Edited by the co-curators and designed by Lavinia Puccetti of Studio Martini, the catalogue features contributions from Dr Taous Dahmani, Michael Gentle, Pablo Helguera, Emily Martin, Dr Kimberley Moulton, Lana Nguyen and Dr Francis Plagne. Their scholarship situates each commission within the artists’ practices and broader concerns, including technology and AI, identity, colonial legacies, traditional mediums and the roles of cultural institutions.

Presented biennially, NEW26 relaunches ACCA’s NEW series, first presented annually from 2003 to 2016, continuing its mission to support local and emerging artists to create ambitious, experimental and critically engaged contemporary art.