PICA’s Hatched: National Graduate Show celebrates the work of exceptional emerging artists from across the country, spotlighting the next generation of Australia’s contemporary creative voices.

Returning home to the iconic PICA building in the Perth Cultural Centre, Hatched 2026 opens on Friday 31 July.

Marking its 35th year, PICA is proud to present Hatched: National Graduate Show 2026. Curated by Mia Palmer-Verevis, Hatched Curatorial Associate 2025-2026, this year’s exhibition includes work from 21 graduates from 20 tertiary art schools across the country.

Each year, Hatched offers a national survey of burgeoning artistic talent, selected for their creative excellence and unique modes of expression. The exhibiting artists in Hatched 2026 were nominated by their lecturers and selected by a panel comprising Tina Stefanou (artist, Hatched alum 2020, VIC), Guy Louden (artist, curator, Art Consultant & Collections Officer, Artbank, WA), Georgia Hayward (Curator, PICA) and Mia Palmer-Verevis.

In 2026, Hatched presents work that is experimental and innovative in both materiality and ideas, demonstrating a sophisticated approach to making and a high level of conceptual rigor. The artists confront the nuances of a diverse range of lived experiences, with some tapping into complex layers of ancestry and lineage, while others seek to convey the intricacies of natural systems and continually evolving modes of digital representation. The issues explored in these varied and multidisciplinary creative practices are urgent and profound.

Exhibition
Perth Institute of Contemporary Design
Perth Cultural Centre
Tue - Sun, 12–5pm

Screenings
Northbridge Piazza Superscreen
Aug - Sep, Daily, Noon & 4pm

City of Perth Forrest Place Arts Screen
Aug - Sep, Daily, 10am, 2pm, 6pm

Exhibition Screenings
The City of Perth Urban Screens host a variety of programs in Northbridge, from formal feature film screenings with beanbag seating to casual sporting events, exhibitions, and short-film screenings. Exhibition screenings like this one are informal events without beanbag seating — visitors can relax on the Piazza's lush lawn, savour Northbridge's renowned culinary delights, or enjoy a stroll along James Street, taking in the vibrant artwork.

The City of Perth Northbridge Piazza Superscreen and City of Perth Forrest Place Arts Screen are initiatives of the City of Perth.

On rare occasions, exhibition screenings at the Northbridge Piazza screen may be displaced by live events at the Piazza.

Image Credit: Sophie Kihara-Murer
Making Do, Making Meaning: Expanded Painting as Acts of Reappropriation and Black Reclamation 2025 (detail)