To kick us off in mid-March, ‘Australian Lustre’ photographer Trent Mitchell will be bringing us his vibrant landscapes and playful sunburnt vignettes from a 15 year exploration around the country which simultaneously questions cultural contradictions and considers the darker undertones of our landscape. 

The beginning of May brings us a group exhibition proposing a photographic dialogical exchange between bodies and land, informed by eco-feminist critique with works by Jesse Boylan, Isabella Capezio, Jody Haines, Pia Johnson, Katrin Koenning, Christine McFetridge, Rebecca Najdowski and Clare Rae. Photography is utilised by the group precisely for its complicated entanglement with the colonial history of landscape photography.

As winter sets in, our two-room gallery design will showcase two solo bodies of work, with Sydney-based, American artist JJ Jimenez presenting ‘Disco Pussy Syndrome’, her archive of the queer scene of 90/00’s New York; a time of defiance, creativity and transformation; while in the back gallery, Steven Xiao fuses staged and documentary photography in a striking body of work born from his life across China, USA and Australia, in which he traces patterns and illusions of behaviour and perspective.

Late July brings us Somali-Australian photographer and director Warsan Mohammad’s ambitious new solo project ‘To Ourselves’, centering self expression of the African, and in particular Somali diaspora; exploring the relationship between resistance and self actualisation, and what it means to cultivate a sense of belonging through connection to one's cultural heritage. 

In September the gallery will turn its focus to the dual notions of motherhood/motherland. In the front gallery, Nur Aishah Kenton and Shelley Xue will present ‘Returning’; which considers the act of revisiting one’s motherland; in this case, Malaysia and China respectively. Both artists trace shifting boundaries between familiarity and distance, recognition and estrangement. Meanwhile, in the back gallery, Ilsa Wynne-Hoelscher’s long-form documentary series ‘Twelve Moons’ charts Australian home-births in a tender, uncensored photo narrative centering the birthing mother which coincides with the launch her second photobook of the same title. 

After our busiest year ever last year with just over 1000 photos exhibited, we will transform the gallery again for our 4th annual Hillvale Photo Trophy in mid-October. This is our photography prize and exhibition open to photographers worldwide and the fundraiser that keeps Hillvale Gallery running and supporting photographic artists.

And finally, to round out the year in December, we are excited to present a new solo exhibition by Emma Phillips; a response through portraiture and landscape photography to her familial environment on the regional peninsula where she was raised and now lives and works.

You can stay up to date with everything Hillvale Gallery over at hillvalegallery.com.au

2026 Hillvale Gallery exhibiting artists in alphabetical order:

​​Christine McFetridge @christinemcfetridge

Clare Rae @clarerae

Emma Phillips @3mmaphillip5

Ilsa Wynne-Hoelscher @ilsawynnehoelscher

Isabella Capezio @isabella_capezio

Jesse Boylan @jesse.thomboy

JJ Jimenez @jjphotonyc

Jody Haines @heidi_hole

Katrin Koenning @k_koenning

Nur Aishah Kenton @aishah_k

Pia Johnson @piajohnsonphotography

Rebecca Najdowski @rebecca.najdowski

Shelley Xue @sxmyedge

Steven Xiao @uzzlzzlzzl

Trent Mitchell @trentmitchelleditions 

Warsan Mohammed @warsan.mohammed