A year after reintroducing paid admission for the first time in over a decade, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia is leaning on a heavy-hitting roster of Indigenous artists, free entry days, and late-night openings to attract visitors.
The MCA is betting on a “bold and joyous” 2026 calendar to woo the ticket-buying public, responding to data showing that 40 per cent of international and domestic tourists are eager to see more contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art.
The announcement follows the Art Gallery of NSW’s launch of its leaner 2026 exhibition program, headlined by the late Australian artist Sidney Nolan.
In early 2025, the MCA ended its long-standing policy of free entry after posting a $2.6 million deficit – the result of rising operational costs and stagnating government funding. While the museum declined to disclose last year’s exact visitor numbers ahead of its annual report, director Suzanne Cotter noted that onsite attendance figures were “comparable” to 2024, within “a few percentage points”.
“That’s wonderful because we know there is an appetite to come here,” Cotter says. While the MCA’s “dress circle” location at Circular Quay helps, Cotter says the institution has been “deepening our thinking about how we engage the public – the types of talks, tours, and activations”. “We are also thinking about the idea of the visitor as a ‘user’ of the museum and what they need.”
The MCA signals its fresh intent with Tony Albert’s Not a Souvenir (May 21-October 19), the artist’s largest show to date, headlining its winter season.
“What we can expect is a very maximalist show, very generous,” Cotter says. “Expect a lot of art – painting, sculpture, craft, photography. He is making a new series of portraits where he has photographed young First Nations people as superheroes. It’s a bit of a takeover with a lot of fun, humour, and seriousness as he takes back Indigenous cultural property.”
Ceded Sovereignty to the Crown
(2023).MCA
Cotter notes that the exhibition follows a legacy of major MCA solo shows dedicated to First Nations artists such as Tracey Moffatt, Destiny Deacon, and Richard Bell.
The 2026 program also features a foyer takeover. In April, West Australian First Nations artist John Prince Siddon will unveil a massive surrealist piece for the MCA’s entrance.
To mark 10 years of the MCA’s acquisition program with London’s Tate Modern, the museum will display significant bark paintings and other works from their joint collections. Since its inception, the partnership has facilitated the joint acquisition of more than 35 artworks by 24 artists.
Cotter aims to reintegrate the gallery into the “rhythm of the city” by reintroducing late-night openings, extending hours during Vivid Sydney, and offering Telstra-sponsored free ticket days.
“The MCA’s job is to set the pace and to introduce to the public the art superstars of the future,” she says. “If you look at the super-big shows globally at the moment, we showed those artists 10 or 20 years ago – Yayoi Kusama in 2006, and Louise Bourgeois in 1996.”
