Sydney’s massive multi-arts centre, Carriageworks, is set to be transformed into the artistic equivalent of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory this summer.
The 11-metre high walls of the industrial Bay 17 at Sydney’s multi-arts centre Carriageworks will be transformed into a colourful, magical, imaginative world of vibrant landscapes, brilliant blue swimming pools and glorious mountain ranges.
There’s even a parade of tiny men, animated in this case, moving through some of the visual displays that enclose the audience in a 360 degree multi-media show. The artist, with his cane, natty suit and colourful Crocs, is also giving off Wonka vibes.
The exhibition is David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away), an immersive production years in the making. After drawing sell-out crowds around the world, it will make its Australian debut at Sydney’s Carriageworks this October.
It is one of the last projects by the British artist, who died at the age of 88 in June 2026. His presence however will be felt throughout the exhibition not just through his artworks but through his voice as he narrates the 50-minute projection show.
Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) 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.
Fergus Linehan, CEO of Carriageworks said Hockney’s works including deep blue waters, bright green foliage and shimmering bodies, would feel deeply familiar to Sydneysiders.
“Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) is a chance to enter this world in the most visceral of ways, and to celebrate an artist who left us with the simplest and most profound of mottos: love life,” he said
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.
