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Words By Sidonie Bird De La Coeur

Sonic compositions and live performances take over the gallery space at ACCA in an exhibition presented by multiple artists responding to the concept of Meatus. A passage or opening that leads to the interior of the body, like the ear canal and nasal passages, Meatus explores the practices of listening and hearing. With four galleries that passage through and into each other, ACCA transforms into a meatus itself – an immersive and sensory experience of sound and light.

Frances Barrett: Meatus runs from April 2 to June 19 at ACCA Gaia

Gaia is a seven metre wide, internally lit illuminated installation of the Earth that hangs suspended in St Paul’s Cathedral. With the intention to invoke the Overview Effect in his audience – the feeling of awe at the immense scale of our universe – UK artist Luke Jerram’s installation explores human connectedness and the fragility of life. Rotating once every four minutes, the sculpture is rendered from detailed NASA imagery and accompanied by a soundtrack by Dan Jones, a BAFTA Awardwinning composer.

You can see Gaia at St Paul’s Cathedral until June 26

The Picasso Century

World-premiering in Melbourne, The Picasso Century will feature more than 70 works by the Spanish artist, as well as 100-plus others from over 50 of his peers. The exhibition takes visitors through periods of Picasso’s art and career exploring Cubism, Surrealism and the Blue Period, while connecting the Spaniard’s iconic creations to the creative community and world around him.

The exhibition runs from June 10 to October 9 at NGV International

Light: Works from Tate’s Collection

A collection of over 70 works curated by Tate in the UK, the exhibition focuses on the artistic fascination with light by showcasing art from over 200 years of art history. Works from great Romantic painters such as Turner and Impressionist artists such as Monet, Pissarro and Sisley are juxtaposed against works of modern and contemporary sculptural art in this illuminating exhibition.

You can catch it from June 16 to November 13 at ACMI

Helmut Newton: In Focus

An intimate exploration of one of the most influential and trailblazing fashion photographers of all time, this exhibition is a collection of 78 original photographs. A provocative and often controversial fashion photographer, his erotically charged black-and-white prints saw Newton become one of the most sought after photographers of the 20th century. The exhibition follows the artist’s youth in Berlin, his flight from Germany at the outset of WWII and his internment in regional Victoria.

It runs until July 7 at the Jewish Museum of Australia

Internet Immigrant, Queering the Frame: Community, Time and Photography and Paul Mpagi Sepuya

The Centre for Contemporary Photography has three great exhibitions running concurrently; with Queering the Frame exploring photographs from Australian artists across generations and Internet Immigrant satirically exploring deep rooted biases in our culture. Paul Mpagi Sepuya presents an artist who positions queerness and Blackness at the heart of his photography, whose exhibition at CCP includes elements from his studio such as mirrors, photography tools and backdrops.

They’re showing concurrently, you can catch both exhibitions at CCP (Centre for Contemporary Photography) from April 29 to June 12

Susan Jacobs: The Ants Are In The Idiom and Still Life

Two exhibitions presented side by side in Buxton Contemporary - The Ants Are In The Idiom is a presentation of newly commissioned work by Susan Jacobs that meditates on the relationship between language and matter through drawing, sculpture and installation. Drawings and models from the University of Melbourne’s Herbarium are presented in Still Life, an exhibition that explores symbiotic relationships, mycelial networks and microorganisms through the natural sciences.

The exhibition runs from June 3 to November 6 at Buxton Contemporary Veronica Franco vs Instagram

A duel between 16th century Italian poet Veronica Franco, and social media algorithms, Veronica Franco vs Instagram is part exhibition, part sonic experience. Developed in conversation with a group of actors, it features a sound performance of spoken and sung prose that has been developed from a script based on Hannie Rayson’s 1990 novel Hotel Sorrento.

It’s on from May 27 to June 25 at Gertrude