I like the edges of things … There’s a sort of nervousness about where the periphery of the work is.

(Phyllida Barlow)

The edge of things explores the ways in which artists give form to the dynamism and disorder of our contemporary world.

Taking inspiration from a quote by the late sculptor Phyllida Barlow, the exhibition foregrounds the affirmative energy of art-making by revealing how artists take on uncertainty, both in and outside the studio.

From Grayson Perry’s time-warped map to Locust Jones’ image storm, Yona Lee’s network of vagrant objects, Phyllida Barlow’s collapsing construction and Ben Quilty’s anxious figuration, the works in this exhibition embrace chaos, multiplicity and the unpredictable.

Featuring works by over 40 artists from the Art Gallery of New South Wales collection – including 18 works on display for the first time – the exhibition includes major new acquisitions by El Anatsui, Yona Lee and Njideka Akunyili Crosby, alongside works by NSW-based artists Harrie Fasher, Mai Nguyễn-Long, Ben Quillty, Locust Jones, Digby Webster and Tina Havelock Stevens.