- David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) will make its Australian debut at Carriageworks this week.
- The striking exhibition transforms Bay 17’s towering industrial walls into a vibrant, immersive world, unmistakably Hockney.
- We had a sneak peek at the production, which celebrates six decades of the iconic artist’s work.
There’s something special about stepping into the towering arts enclosure of Carriageworks’ Bay 17, knowing you’re officially the very first audience in Australia to experience David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away).
The immersive exhibition, which has already captivated visitors in London, Manchester, Seoul and Singapore, has finally made its way Down Under, bringing a new way of experiencing six decades of Hockney’s art to Sydney.
At the exhibition’s opening, Carriageworks CEO Fergus Linehan shared his excitement at bringing the experience to Sydney, describing Hockney as someone who “was and remains one of the most beloved artists of our time”.
He tells us that Bigger & Closer “put the viewer right in the centre of his work”, sharing Hockney’s celebration of “the joy of being human”.
The timing of the exhibition’s arrival in Sydney feels particularly poignant, with Bigger & Closer opening at Carriageworks just four months after Hockney’s passing. It is, however, purely coincidental, with the Australian debut having been in the works long before.
“The fact that he passed recently might make some people think that this is a homage to his life’s work”, said Linehan, “But it’s actually a natural progression of his practice.”
Created over three years in collaboration with Hockney, Bigger & Closer premiered in 2023 at London’s Lightroom, bringing together art, technology and storytelling in a spectacular 360-degree immersive experience.
Located in London’s King’s Cross, Lightroom has collaborated with an impressive roster of names, from Vogue and Anna Wintour to Tom Hanks and NASA, and most recently, the David Bowie Estate. Bigger & Closer marks its first foray into the Southern Hemisphere.
But enough of the backstory – it’s time to step inside the immersive world of Hockney and see how Bigger & Closer measures up.
Inside Bigger & Closer
Bigger & Closer is made up of six chapters, reflecting distinctive moments in his career, from his work with the opera to his famous swimming pools series.
Narrated by Hockney himself, the experience places you into the artist’s mind, as though you’re sitting inside his brain while he builds his vision all around you. You hear his famous Yorkshire accent telling you to look deeply, while also challenging you to not take a single perspective.
The 50-minute journey uses state-of-the-art projections to bring Hockney’s work to life across Bay 17’s 11-metre-high walls. Animations and an original score by Nico Muhly guide the narrative, shifting perspectives and adding movement and depth to the artist’s vivid visual world.
His famous swimming pool series ripples across the room, immersing the audience in blue. Iconic works, from Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) to A Bigger Splash, come to life as Hockney narrates his lifelong fascination with water and its endlessly shifting forms.
One moment, A Bigger Grand Canyon wraps across all four walls, enveloping the audience in its vast landscape. The next, Hockney’s stained-glass window design for Westminster Abbey illuminates the central screen, its brilliant colours cutting through the surrounding darkness. Later, the curtain rises on his set design for The Magic Flute, Turandot and Oedipus Rex as playful characters dance across the screen.
What can we learn from David Hockney?
As the exhibition unfolds, a simple message comes into focus: Hockney wants us to find joy in the act of seeing. He wants us to look at what’s in front of us, and to enjoy it.
He tells us, “The world is very very beautiful if you look at it, but most people don’t”.
For Hockney, finding joy in the everyday has always come naturally. “I can look at little puddles in the rain and get pleasure out of them,” he says, as raindrops cascade across the four walls around us.
In the chapter, Looking Closely, Hockney turns his attention to the natural world, reminding us of its endless capacity to inspire. “You can’t be bored of nature, can you? You have endless subjects in nature, endless.”
Perhaps Hockney’s reflections on looking, seeing and shifting perspectives resonate a little more deeply following his recent passing, especially his simple but profound optimism in the world around him.
His philosophy, “to take things in; to look closely; to know what it is you’re looking at; to really look”, also feels particularly relevant in our screen-saturated world, where we’re so often glued to our phones that we forget to look up.
For me, David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) is a timely reminder to do what the artist always encouraged us to do: “love life”. Let’s be honest – we could all use a little more of Hockney’s joyful approach to the world.
David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away)
Where: Bay 17, Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh NSW 2015.
When: From October 22-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.
