Image: Mitch Cairns, Life-like 2024 (detail) © Mitch Cairns. Courtesy The Commercial, Sydney. Photo: The Commercial

Sydney-based artist Mitch Cairns presents an ambitious body of work in his first solo exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Cairns’ striking paintings take inspiration from the world outside his inner-city studio, from nature and the built environment to the working lives of the people around him. They are immediately recognisable for their stylised imagery, refined brushwork and restricted colour palette.

Cairns’ interest in literature, text and reading are also revealed, both in paintings and in bronze reliefs containing quotes from various sources. The title of the show, Restless Legs, refers to what happens to the artist as he reads in bed at night.