Saying that 2024 has been an eventful year is probably an understatement – which year isn’t for a profession as dynamic and exciting as arts journalism?
Among the hundreds of exhibitions and thousands of artworks, the things that have stood out for me this year have leant towards being contemplative, yet impactful.
Such include Movana Chen’s participatory textile installation, Knitting Conversations, at M+ Museum Hong Kong and wani toaishara’s a most beautiful experiment as part of PHOTO2024 in Naarm/Melbourne. Both highlight a sense of collective art-making to tackle the bigger questions, realised in a way that appeals to the emotions as motivations for change.
Photography and film appear to have been my top mediums in 2024, with works by contemporary, living artists capturing my interest the most. They offer ‘reality’ through a different dimension and allow one to time-travel and space-hop – a much cherished opportunity in the year that was.
The Museum of Australian Photography’s Environmental Futures was not only critical in exploring the impacts of climate change, but did so in a way that was visually entrancing. Meanwhile, a solo exhibition featuring Elliott Erwitt at Fotografiska Shanghai captured the dynamic and thoughtful oeuvre of an icon.
I was also especially drawn to works that utilised the communicative powers of visual, theatrical or cinematic elements with mind-boggling creativity, such as S. Shakthidaran’s Counting and Cracking (voted the best Australian play of the 21st century so far) and Zhang Xu Zhan’s wildly transportive video installation at the 11th Asia Pacific Triennial in Brisbane. Also worth mentioning is my unexpected detour to Shanghai Disneyland, where I was blown away by the Zootopia animatronics – they are fantastical and look mind-bogglingly real, seamlessly bridging real and animated worlds.
So here is a note of appreciation to all the things that left a mark on my year, many of which I wasn’t able to mention or cover through a full-length review.
In this article:
Favourite artworks
Movana Chen, ‘Knitting Conversations’, installation view at M+ Museum Hong Kong. Photo: ArtsHub. 
wani toaishara, ‘a most beautiful experiment’, installation view at West Space as part of PHOTO2024. Photo: ArtsHub. 
Yvette James, ‘Minor profit in the belly of the great fish’ at Bundoora Homestead. Photo: ArtsHub. 
Marco Fusinato, ‘Desastres’ as part of Now or Never 2024. Photo: ArtsHub. 
Song Yongping, ‘My Parents’, installation view at West Bund Museum Shanghai. Photo: ArtsHub. 
Zhang Xu Zhan, ‘Compound eyes of tropical’, installation view at QAGOMA as part of APT11. Photo: ArtsHub.
- wani toaishara, a most beautiful experiment (single-channel film installation, 2024) as part of PHOTO2024 at West Space
- Movana Chen, Knitting Conversations (participatory installation, 2013-) at M+ Museum Hong Kong
- Yang Fudong, Sparrow on the Sea (film, 2024) at M+ Museum Hong Kong
- Andrius Arutiunian, You Do Not Remember Yourself (brass instrument, hanging system, two surface transducers, media player, 2022) as part of 14th Shanghai Biennale, Cosmos Cinema, at Power Station of Art
- Yvette James, Minor profit in the belly of the great fish (salt, wax, water, PVC tubing, fixings, pump, 2024) as part of An obscuring of self – a veil between yours and theirs at Bundoora Homestead
- Marco Fusinato, Desastres (audio installation, 2022-), as part of Now or Never 2024
- Miriam Cahn’s paintings as part of Portrait of a Collection: Selected Works from the Pinault Collection at SONGEUN in Seoul
- Ren Light Pan, Sleep Painting – 11.22.21, NY, NY (ink, water, 98.6 degrees F and canvas, 2021) at West Bund Art & Design, represented by INKstudio
- Song Yongping, My Parents (film photography with digital output, 1997-2001) and Wolfgang Tillmans, Lüneburg (self) (pigment inkjet print, 2020) as part of Another Avant-garde. Photography 1970-2000 at West Bund Museum, Shanghai
- Jasmine Togo-Brisby, Copper Archipelago (copper, resin and steel, 2024) and Zhang Xu Zhan, Compound eyes of tropical (single-channel animation, 2020-22) as part of APT11 at QAGOMA
- Claire Lambe, Witnessing Bacon (tapestry, 2018) as part of LAST CHRISTMAS (I GAVE YOU MY HEART) at Sarah Scout Presents
Best art exhibitions
‘Nothing Still About Still Lifes: Three Centuries of Floral Compositions’ at Deji Art Museum, Nanjing. Photo: ArtsHub. 
‘Environmental Futures’ at Museum of Australian Photography. Photo: ArtsHub. 
‘2024 Art Spectrum: Dream Screen’ at Leeum Museum of Art, Seoul. Photo: ArtsHub. 
Addin Sugarda, ‘Anugerah: (Bestowed)’ at HAIR ARI. Photo: ArtsHub. 
‘Fantastic Visions: 100 Years of Surrealism from the National Galleries of Scotland’ at Museum of Art Pudong, Shanghai. Photo: ArtsHub.
- Louise Bourgeois Has the Day Invaded the Night or Has the Night Invaded the Day? at AGNSW
- Environmental Futures at Museum of Australian Photography
- Fantastic Visions: 100 Years of Surrealism from the National Galleries of Scotland at Museum of Art Pudong, Shanghai
- Loewe Crafted World at Shanghai Exhibition Centre
- Through the Playful Eyes of Elliott Erwitt at Fotografiska Shanghai
- Addin Sugarda, Anugerah: (Bestowed) at HAIR ARI
- Duty of Care – Part One at IMA Brisbane
- Pharaoh at NGV International
- Anicka Yi There Exists Another Evolution, But in This One and 2024 Art Spectrum: Dream Screen at Leeum Museum of Art, Seoul
- 15th Gwangju Biennale PANSORI: A Soundscape of the 21st Century
- Tennant Creek Brio: Juparnta Ngattu Minjinypa Iconocrisis at ACCA
- The new National Communications Museum
- Nothing Still About Still Lifes: Three Centuries of Floral Compositions at Deji Art Museum, Nanjing
Favourite performances and films
- Perfect Days
- Counting and Cracking
- Now or Never 2024 concert featuring Anthony Naples, COUCOU CHLOE, Erika de Casper and Sleep D at the Royal Exhibition Building
- Wicked
- Inside Out 2
- Special shoutout to: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, a novel by Gabrielle Zevin, who so eloquently portrays moments of life (and death) through a state of play
My five-star reviews of 2024
What’s worth five stars? ArtsHub‘s official rating standard qualifies it as “one of the very best things in its art form… the sort of work you’ll still be talking about in 10 years’ time”. Admittedly, not many will ever meet this calibre and the landscape of arts criticism today gives way too much credit to things that are simply ‘above average’.
For me, it’s about impact, whether that be emotional, intellectual or even, sometimes, physical (when was the last time you felt goosebumps seeing a work of art or hearing a piece of music?). Out of the hundreds of exhibitions, a handful of performances and regular movies I’ve seen throughout 2024, four made it to my top list.
Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus, Melbourne Recital Centre (screening)
“With deep involvement from the late composer’s son and wife, Opus captures Ryuichi Sakamoto in dazzling body and soul.”
Undeniably, I have a soft spot for the late Japanese composer, Ryuichi Sakamoto (1952-2023), and not just for his most renowned pieces like ‘Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence’. It was Sakamoto’s online concert, Playing the piano for the isolated (2020), that helped me through lockdowns, and his final solo album, 12, is an intimate reflection of an established but humble artist, forging a way through the last years of his life through his love for music.
Sakamoto will be ‘brought to life’ again in Melbourne through mixed reality and, while I have my reservations about the format, the sheer opportunity to be immersed in Sakamoto’s music and (digital) presence once again is enough for Kagami to be my most anticipated performance of Asia TOPA 2025.
Upcoming screenings at ACMI: 29 December 2024 and 2 January 2025.
Candice Lin: The Sex Life of Stone, MUMA
“Mineral politics, animal kinship and dark demonic romance come together in the work of Chinese American multidisciplinary artist Candice Lin.”
From ‘Lithium Sex Demons’ to how sea cucumbers brought together the Anindilyakwa people and Indonesian Makassar traders, this show locked my gaze with other-worldly delights (and frights). It also highlights that it doesn’t take a blockbuster name or state institution to create a spectacular contemporary exhibition, but instead, bold curation and thoughtful, but critical, explorations make a strong combination for meaningful engagement.
Molto Bello: Icons of Modern Italian Design, Heide Museum of Modern Art
“Icons of Italian design with an iconic exhibition to match.”
Molto Bello is my design exhibition of the year, fully transforming Heide into a funky kaleidoscope of furniture, lighting and functional art. It’s filled with history and backstories, allowing viewers to take a deeper dive or just enjoy the visual feast. It’s on view until 23 March 2025, so make this one for your summer calendars.
Yin Xiuzhen: Piercing the Sky, Power Station of Art Shanghai
“Yin is an artist who is gifted with the ability to perceive the world in ways that may not be obvious to most.”
Opened during Shanghai Art Week 2024, Yin Xiuzhen’s solo exhibition was an instant hit across Chinese social media platforms for its futuristic-looking (and photogenic) installations and the accessibility of free entry (a rare treat in China’s art landscape). The hype is warranted in this case, and Yin’s pieces allow for different levels of engagement regardless of where you fall on the spectrum as an art viewer. Her lens zooms as far in as dust and as far out as the universe, all the while imbuing visual wonder in the pieces. On view until 16 February 2025.
