Rising Voices: Contemporary Art from Asia, Australia & the Pacific opens in London's V&A

Tue 19 May 2026

A landmark exhibition celebrating the globally significant collection of contemporary Asian, Australian and Pacific art held by QAGOMA has opened at one of the world’s great museums, the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A), South Kensington, London.

‘Rising Voices: Contemporary Art from Asia, Australia and the Pacific’ offers new audiences an unparalleled opportunity to experience artworks that reflect the richness of cultural traditions and contemporary practices from across the region.

Developed with the V&A, the exhibition reflects over 30 years of collecting through QAGOMA’s flagship exhibition series, the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art.

RELATED: Curating the exhibition & staging the tour

Michael ParekŌwhai Kapa Haka (Whero) 2003

QAGOMA Director Chris Saines CNZM said: 'The opening of ‘Rising Voices’ is a watershed moment for the Gallery, which has worked in a close partnership with the V&A to present some of our region’s most creative and significant voices in one of the most influential and visited museums in the world. The exhibition celebrates key figures and movements that have shaped cultural contexts in the Asia Pacific.

As a museum-based, acquisitive exhibition series, the Asia Pacific Triennial stands apart from the world’s many biennials and triennials as a highly collaborative endeavour involving a vast regional network of in-country advisers and co-curators, and a curatorial model driven equally by contemporary art and customary, community-based practice'.

QAGOMA Director Chris Saines CNZM at the opening of ‘Rising Voices'

Zac Langdon-Pole Another World Inside this One 2024

‘Rising Voices’ brings together the work of more than 40 artists from 25 countries across the Asia Pacific region with more than 70 works spanning sculpture, photography, painting, ceramics, weaving and body adornment — many of which have never been exhibited outside of the region.

The exhibition is arranged across an introduction and three thematic sections. Re-Visioning History demonstrates how artists respond to political conditions, from histories of migration to domestic conflicts and social upheaval. Enduring Knowledge explores artistic heritage and ways of making with local materials, featuring works informed by long-standing traditions and ceremonial customs. The exhibition concludes with Evolving Faith, a section considering how spirituality and systems of faith are expressed in contemporary practices.

Takahiro Iwasaki Reflection Model (Perfect Bliss) 2010–12

Maryam Ayeen & Abbas Shahsavar Untitled (from 'Fall in dopamine' series) 2020-21

Aisha Khalid Exotic bodies 2003

Pushpa Kumari Tsunami 2015

Lola Greeno Netepa menna 2018

Sospen Wai Miss yu love c.2012

Ah Xian China China - Bust no.4 1998

Rising Voices: Contemporary Art from Asia, Australia and the Pacific
16 May 2026 – 10 January 2027
Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A)
South Kensington, London

The Victoria and Albert Museum, London (V&A) is the world’s leading museum of art, design and performance with collections unrivalled in their scope and diversity, spanning 5000 years of human creativity. It was established in 1852 to make works of art available to all and to inspire British designers and manufacturers. Today, its purpose is to champion creative industry, inspire the next generation, and spark everyone’s imagination.

Over three decades and 11 editions, the groundbreaking Asia Pacific Triennial at the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art has represented the work of over 650 artists, collectives and community groups from 50 countries across Asia, Australia and the Pacific.

Experience ‘Rising Voices’ virtually through QAGOMA Collection Online, where videos, installation views and curatorial writing explore the works on tour and trace the history of the Asia Pacific Triennial from the early 1990s and into the future.