Dia and MCA Australia to Co-Present harding Exhibition
The two-part show by Indigenous Australian artist d harding opens in New York in February and in Sydney in March.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Fine Art
Dia Art Foundation and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia will co-present a two-part exhibition of work by Indigenous Australian artist d harding. The Dia Chelsea component opens in February and the MCA Australia component opens in March, both running into August of next year.
Why it matters
The MCA Australia show is harding's first museum survey, offering a broad look at the artist's practice across four organizing themes: inheritance, visitation, embodiment, and continuity. The split presentation places a new commission in New York alongside a survey in Sydney.
The new commission uses canvases inherited from fellow artist Gordon Bennett, processed with earthen materials and transferred to 60 panels. Details on exhibition attendance targets and loan arrangements have not been disclosed.
The players
Dia Art Foundation
Dia Art Foundation is a New York-based nonprofit that supports artists through commissions and long-term installations, including its Land art holdings in the American West.
Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia is a Sydney institution dedicated to presenting contemporary art and supporting Australian artists.
The details
harding drew inspiration from site visits to Dia's Land art holdings in the American West for the Dia commission. The transfer paintings are made from canvases inherited from Gordon Bennett, which were processed with earthen materials before being transferred to 60 panels.
Timeline
February, next year: Dia Chelsea component opens in New York.
March, next year: MCA Australia component opens in Sydney.
August, next year: Both components close.
Legacy Connections
The exhibition places an Indigenous Australian artist's work in dialogue with Dia's long-standing Land art holdings in the American West. The commission extends that tradition of site-responsive practice into a new body of painting.
Visitors in New York can see the Dia Chelsea component from February, while those in Sydney can view the MCA Australia survey from March. Both presentations run into August of next year.
The takeaway
Two separate venues on different continents will present one artist's work across the first half of next year, offering a chance to compare a new commission with a broader museum survey. Readers interested in Indigenous Australian art can follow both presentations as they open.
What happens next
The Dia Chelsea component opens in February next year, followed by the MCA Australia component in March, with both running into August.
Further reading
Explore more on Fine Art coverage across the site.
Source note: This article includes information reported by ARTnews.
