Not too big, not too small. Canberra has big monuments and small wine bars, important cultural attractions and neighbourhood cafes, and a vibe all its own. Welcome to Galah's alternative guide to the national capital, presented in partnership with VisitCanberra.
For a city of fewer than 500,000 residents (smaller than Newcastle), Canberra really punches above its weight in cultural offerings. The city's library is our national library. The city's gallery is our national gallery. And what is remarkable to me is that so much of this is free to the public. The arboretum, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Library, the National Gallery of Australia – the list goes on.
This is the second half of our alternative guide to the national capital (read the first half here). We also have a full Canberra travel guide with a focus on where to eat and drink here online, topped off with a delightful chat with Canberra chef Louis Couttoupes.
In part 1 of our alternative guide to the national capital we focused on small art experiences in Canberra's cultural scene, but now it's time to take a look at the big guns.
In the National Gallery of Australia's forecourt sits an enormous, new, snake-like sculpture by Lindy Lee, Ouroboros, commissioned by the gallery to celebrate its 40th birthday. About 45,000 holes were handcut into the mirror-finish, stainless-steel cylindrical forms. By day, it reflects all that is around it: the water, the trees, the people. By night, it glows and almost sparkles. You can look at it, but you can also walk in it. Lee wanted to create a work about everybody. "Under the open sky everybody belongs, everybody has their place," she said.
Aislinn King is an exhibition designer at the NGA, and has worked on many exhibitions including the current Lindy Lee exhibition inside the gallery (editor's note: it closes on 1 June).
"Exhibition designers work across various exhibition contexts and collaborative modes, seeking out new ways for the public to perceive, experience and engage with art and culture. Through interpreting the architectural qualities of the gallery spaces and working closely with curators and artists to understand the conceptual premise, exhibition designers develop three-dimensional spatial layering, custom display elements, and embed key sightlines and spatial transitions within the layout of an exhibition.
"We are involved from the conception of an exhibition right through to its realisation, creating design concept packages, plans, models and 3D renders to visually communicate the evolving design with collaborators through each stage of the process. My focus within each exhibition project is to create a cohesive and holistic design, involving the close collaboration with curators, conservators, fabricators and specialists across the gallery, working together towards an integrated outcome."
"I grew up in Canberra. Many in my family are creatives and I was always surrounded by artists, architects, designers and performers. We visited the National Gallery often.
After school, I went to Sydney to undertake a masters degree in Design for Performance at the National Institute of Dramatic Art, and this also exposed me to immersive modes of thinking and ways that the public can experience and connect with culture. I moved back home to Canberra after spending time in Denmark on the Sydney Opera House MADE ( Multidisciplinary Australian Danish Exchange) scholarship, seeking something that combined my interests in the arts, design and the public cultural realm, and this role as exhibition designer definitely does that."
"It's great. Canberra has a lot going for it. The gallery itself is right near the lake, and we have beautiful architecture and a sculpture garden that you can walk through and spend days in, admiring the voids and light. Canberra also has a lot of emerging and renowned creative professionals, so it's nice to exchange ideas with them."
"The Lindy Lee exhibition occupies quite a large spatial volume inside the NGA building, and the intent within Lindy’s work is to evoke a sense of time and temporality, set within a dark, atmospheric quality of almost moonlight.
"To create that in the gallery space, we painted all the walls a very dark tea-coloured charcoal, which really transforms the space and your experience of it, something that hadn't been done previously in that gallery space. It really changes as you walk in and you experience the full scale of the works, as an immersive installation within the architecture.
"As envisioned by exhibition curators Deborah Hart and Deirdre Cannon, this exhibition brings together highlights from across Lindy’s career as well as a monumental new installation work Charred Forest. I deeply valued contributing to this exhibition and seeing this exceptional new work emerge.
"Collaborating and overlapping with artists is one of the real joys of being an exhibition designer.
"I'd have to say Intra, with its hand-made ceramics, which is nearby in Campbell."
Read more about Canberra and its brilliant food and art scene in Galah's full Canberra travel guide. Not too big, not too small, Canberra has big monuments and small wine bars, important cultural attractions and neighbourhood cafes, and a vibe all its own.
I love the National Portrait Gallery. It's a building of restrained elegance housing our nation's most intimate art form. And I'm a huge fan of their annual National Photographic Portrait Prize which always results in an exhibition that acts as a powerful visual record of the year, as well as a celebration of our contemporary photographers. It was so great to chat to Katrina Power, Head of Exhibitions at the National Portrait Gallery, while I was in town.
Katrina Power is the Head of Exhibitions at the National Portrait Gallery.
"The Portrait Gallery reflects upon who we are as Australians and where we stand in the context of this country and the broader context of the world. We're continuously reimagining who we are and reimagining what a portrait is—is it only a traditional style of painting, or could it be something that comes from deep within us, from the heart of a person?"
"I am from Canberra. I got a job at the National Portrait Gallery after university, and never left! I've also worked at the National Gallery and Old Parliament House and can say, Canberra is rich pickings for these kinds of jobs. Just within the Parliamentary Triangle are so many incredible places to work. It's a strong community where we all know each other and genuinely enjoy working together, both within our institutions and across various locations. When I drive to work in the morning, I look out over the lake, and I see the War Memorial. I look up the hill, and I see Old and New Parliament Houses. I feel so lucky to live and work here."
"The 2025 National Photographic Portrait Prize will be open here in August. It’s an exhibition that is always highly anticipated because it reflects the cultural moments of the last year. From the intimate and vulnerable to the bold and joyous, it is a celebration of portraiture that really resonates with our audience. It is also a great platform for emerging and established artists, and we are very proud of it here at the Gallery. This year we have 48 finalists and, having had a sneak peek, I can tell you it’s going to be a fantastic exhibition."
"Wildflour is a great coffee spot, and they have a beautiful assortment of pastries! The Wildflour croissants are 100% worth it and pair great with a coffee."
"I’m loving the new AK’s diner in Acton. Malaysian-style, by chef AK Ramakrishna, who used to own XO in Narrabundah."
Photography by Lean Timms.
Less than a ten-minute walk from the National Portrait Gallery, Rosa's is a super cute cafe and garden bar with a terrace overlooking Old Parliament House's rose garden. It's the perfect spot for a pre-gallery coffee or a post-gallery spritz.
Canberra was built on a dream to represent who we are as Australians – a bit like Lindy Lee's Ouroboros sculpture – to reflect and refract our collective identity. The city feels both national and local. At its most aspirational, Canberra is about who we are as a nation. But it's also about who we're becoming. And, after a very satisfying two-day holiday here, the future feels bright.
Meet the National Arboretum's Senior Director of Operations Amalie Shawcross.
After almost ten years as a public servant in Canberra, Louis Couttoupes realised a career in government wasn't for him. He quit and went to Paris with his girlfriend and fell in love with the "bistronomy" scene in Paris's 11th arrondissement. Then he moved back to Canberra and got a job at Bar Rochford, working his way up from washing dishes to becoming head chef.
This newsletter series is made in partnership with VisitCanberra.
