2026 Mullins Conceptual Photography Prize
13 August to 10 October 2026
The Australian Photographic Society’s Mullins Conceptual Photography Prize celebrates contemporary photographic practice from across Australia, bringing together works that explore ideas, narratives and perspectives through the medium of photography.
The exhibition highlights the diverse ways artists use photography to question, interpret and reimagine the world around them. Through a range of approaches and forms of presentation, the finalists demonstrate the evolving possibilities of photographic expression and the power of images to communicate complex ideas.
Presented at Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre, the prize continues a long connection between photography and the Muswellbrook Shire Art Collection, with the winning work acquired into the collection.
The 2026 Mullins Conceptual Photography Prize is made possible by the Australian Photographic Society in partnership with the Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre, and with the support of Bengalla Mining Company, Malabar Resources, and Australian Photography magazine.
Gabby Villalba, Between 2026, sunprinted cyanotype photographic assemblage on hand-coated 100% cotton paper, 62 x 40 x 4cm, Mullins Conceptual Photography Prize Finalist 2026.
Water: Peter Gill
13 August 2026 to 23 December 2026
Featuring paintings and drawings from 1976 to the present, Water traces Peter Gill’s enduring fascination with rivers, creeks, gardens and coastlines. Whether depicting the waterways surrounding his home in Muswellbrook or places encountered through travel, Gill is drawn to the intimate details that often go unnoticed. Through decades of close looking, water has become both subject and companion. Never fixed in colour or form, it is always changing, offering a continual source of observation and inspiration.
Presented as part of Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre’s 50th anniversary celebrations, ‘Water’ also acknowledges Peter Gill’s longstanding connection to the gallery. Gill became the first artist invited to exhibit at the newly opened gallery in 1976, beginning a relationship that has continued for five decades. Spanning the same half-century as the gallery itself, ‘Water’ celebrates both his enduring artistic career and his contribution to the cultural life of the region.
Peter Gill, Rocks and Sea 1976, acrylic on canvas, 63 x 88cm.
Home is where the Learning Starts: Upper Hunter Home School
13 August to 10 October 2026
Home is Where the Learning Starts is an exhibition showcasing the creativity, interests and individual learning journeys of children from our local homeschooling community.
The works on display offer a glimpse into the many subjects, ideas and experiences that shape learning beyond the traditional classroom. Through art, projects, writing, research and hands-on exploration, each piece reflects a child’s curiosity, imagination and unique perspective.
Olivia, age 12, Pixie Pass Village 2026, watercolour on paper.
Visuaural: Death Cycle of a Found Piano
5 June to 1 August 2026
What happens when a piano reaches the end of its life?
Does it fall silent, or does it begin again?
‘Visuaural: Death Cycle of a Found Piano’ invites participants to take part in the transformation of an abandoned instrument — dismantling, reimagining and re-creating its internal mechanisms into new objects, artworks and sound works.
This is not just an ending, it is a process of listening, making, and imagining.
The Visuaural program is made possible by Arts Upper Hunter in partnership with Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre and the Hunter Regional Conservatorium, with the assistance of the Australian Government Regional Arts Fund, which supports the arts in regional and remote Australia.
Piano key from the found piano featured in Visuaural: Death Cycle of a Found Piano.
Hold Still: from the Muswellbrook Collections
19 March to 1 August 2026
Ceramic vessels are among the oldest and most enduring forms of human expression. While historically created for function, contemporary artists continue to use the vessel as a powerful medium for storytelling, memory and cultural connection. In this exhibition, each work reflects the personal experiences, histories and influences of its maker. For some artists, the vessel becomes a way to hold memories of place or moments in time; for others, it carries cultural knowledge, tradition or childhood nostalgia. Through form, surface and imagery, these works reveal how the seemingly simple vessel can contain complex narratives and personal meaning.
Casey Chen, Big Robot 5 2022, glazed porcelain, china paint and gold lustre, 37 x 21 x 21cm, Muswellbrook Shire Art Collection, Winner, Muswellbrook Art Prize 2023, Ceramics.
