Years in the making and after drawing sell-out crowds around the world, David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) will make its Australian debut at Sydney’s Carriageworks this October.
Just months after the death of British artist David Hockney, fans of the influential artist will be able to spend time in his presence as he guides them through one of his last major projects.
David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away), a massive, immersive production opening at Sydney’s Carriageworks on October 22, 2026, features voice recordings of the late artist as he explains his process and his approach to his early experiments and 60 years of work.
The monumental production, from Lightroom London, opened in London in February 2023 and has captivated audiences as it toured to Manchester, Shanghai and Seoul, delighting over 650,000 visitors around the world.
Now it’s set to make its Australian premiere over spring and summer, giving Aussies the chance to experience the much loved artist in a whole new way.
What to expect?
According to those behind the production, the exhibition is driven by Hockney’s own philosophy – “to take things in; to look closely; to know what it is you’re looking at; to really look”.
“The show was created to allow audiences to step into David’s process and to experience the wonder and magic of seeing things his way,” said producer and Lightroom CEO Richard Slaney. “To work directly with [him] for a number of years to create Bigger & Closer (not smaller and further away) was a huge privilege, and to be able to share it with a new audience in Australia is thrilling for us.
The exhibition will transform the iconic industrial architecture of Carriageworks’ Bay 17 into a four-sided, large-scale digital environment, bringing together painting, photography, drawing and digital media. It’s a multi-sensory experience that unfolds over a cycle of six themed chapters, including LA swimming pool and Normandy landscapes, with a specially composed score by Nico Muhly and narrated by Hockney.
Hockney’s voice guides the viewer as they observe his early experiments with perspective, using photography as a way of “drawing with a camera’”, capturing the passing of time in his composite Polaroids and photographic collages and the joy of spring on his iPad, and showing us why only paint can properly convey the hugeness of the Grand Canyon.
Audiences even get to join him on his audio-visual Wagner Drive, a high-speed camera run that takes you roaring up into the San Gabriel Mountains, and into the massive animated re-creations of his stage designs.
Visitors can expect to spend about 60-80 minutes seeing the experience. The main feature of the experience last approximately 50 minutes.
What: David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller and further away)
Where: Bay 17, Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh NSW 2015
When: From October 2026 – January 24, 2027
Price: Standard tickets for a timed entry are adult $44.90, student $39.90; child (4-12) $29.90, under 4 free. A VIP Anytime Pass is $64.90.
Book your tickets here.
