SYDNEY.- Renowned German artist Thomas Demand will return to Australia to design and curate a new exhibition that will transform the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ major contemporary collection galleries for the 38th Kaldor Public Art Project. Presented by Kaldor Public Art Projects in collaboration with the Art Gallery, Thomas Demand: The Object Lesson will reshape the SANAA-designed Isaac Wakil Gallery with bold new interior architecture, conceived by Demand to create a unique setting for his selection of more than 50 international and Australian artworks from the John Kaldor Family Collection.

Best known for his photographs and sculptures, which are held in the collections of major museums around the world including our own, Demand is deeply interested in architecture and exhibition design. In 2013 and 2014, he made several visits to the Tokyo studio of Pritzker Prize-winning architecture firm SANAA, which resulted in a body of work depicting the firm’s architectural models. Demand often designs the interiors of his own exhibitions, using wallpaper and innovative built elements to create dynamic installations that extend his artistic vision into the exhibition space.

Opening on 30 August, The Object Lesson includes a selection of works from both the Art Gallery’s John Kaldor Family Collection as well as from John Kaldor's personal collection, including works by artists Francis Alÿs, Allora & Calzadilla, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Gilbert & George, Andreas Gursky, Sol LeWitt, Nam June Paik, Richard Prince, Robert Rauschenberg, Ugo Rondinone, Saskia Olde Wolbers, and many more.

The Object Lesson builds on the Art Gallery’s significant and close relationship with John Kaldor AO and Kaldor Public Art Projects, since the institution hosted its first Kaldor Public Art Project in 1973 (Project 3), which featured artists Gilbert & George performing The Singing Sculpture in the galleries. Other notable Project collaborations over the past 50 years include Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s Wrapped Vestibule in 1990 (Project 9), Tatzu Nishi’s War and peace and in between in 2009 (Project 19), Tino Seghal’s This is so contemporary in 2014 (Project 29), Making Art Public: 50 Years of Kaldor Public Art Projects in 2019-2020 (Project 35) and Sol LeWitt: Affinities and Resonances in 2022-2023 (Project 37).

Art Gallery of New South Wales director Maud Page said: ‘The groundbreaking Kaldor donation is the most significant gift of international art ever made to the Art Gallery of New South Wales. It transformed our art collection, adding pivotal and thought-provoking works that have enriched and enlarged the stories we tell in our exhibitions and displays. We are delighted to once again collaborate with John Kaldor and Kaldor Public Art Projects and to be working with the celebrated artist Thomas Demand to showcase this incredible collection in a dynamic new way.’

Kaldor is a dedicated collector, patron and supporter of contemporary art. He has collected and commissioned art since the early 1960s, and since 1969 has shared his love of art with the Australian audiences through his remarkable and ambitious public art projects. He has donated artworks by some of the most important figures of the 20th and 21st centuries to the Art Gallery’s collection, marking one of the most significant gifts to an Australian public gallery.

John Kaldor AO said: ‘The Object Lesson brings together my two passions – collecting art and creating groundbreaking projects with leading contemporary artists. It is a pleasure to work once again with Thomas Demand and witness his creative process.

‘Our longstanding relationship with the Art Gallery of New South Wales has produced many memorable projects. I’m immensely grateful to the Art Gallery for their collaboration on this exhibition, which marks our twelfth project together since 1973. I especially want to thank Maud Page, director, and the Art Gallery of New South Wales team, along with my own colleagues at Kaldor Public Art Projects, for bringing this latest project to life.’

The Object Lesson is Demand’s second collaboration with Kaldor Public Art Projects. In 2012, he presented Project 25, The Dailies, in the Harry Seidler-designed Commercial Travellers’ Association (CTA) in Sydney’s Martin Place. Occupying the entire fourth floor of the CTA, Demand’s photographs were displayed throughout the hotel rooms, accompanied by a custom fragrance by designer Miuccia Prada and an intriguing narrative by US author Louis Begley.

Thomas Demand said: ‘It was a great pleasure to accept John’s invitation to engage with his collection. The result, I hope, is as distinctive as any of his other projects—capable of sparking curiosity and offering a memorable experience for the audience. To me, the objects of this lesson represent certain ideas, and those ideas are meant to enter into a conversation—with myself as their conductor.’

The exhibition will be accompanied by music composed by Sydney and Berlin-based musician Jules Reidy, who is working closely with Demand to create a sonic interpretation of the artworks on display. Visitors will be able to immerse themselves in this specially commissioned audio experience while exploring Demand's unique installation, and Reidy will perform the work live in the exhibition in December 2025. A monthly music series throughout the exhibition will also see three NSW-based musicians reinterpret Reidy’s music in live performances. Performance details to be announced.

Alongside the exhibition, Sydney-based artist and researcher Nadia Odlum has been commissioned to develop a new participatory program for children and families.