Friday 5 December to Sunday 15th February at The Manly Art Gallery & Museum.

Garden Variety features five contemporary Australian artists,  Natasha Bieniek, Lucy Culliton, Nic Fern, Michael Kempson, and Louise Zhang, each exploring the garden as a site of creativity, harmony, and care. As part of the program, we’ll also be hosting a special event with Michael Kempson at 2.30pm

31st January 2026 - 1.30pm to 4pm

​Join Michael for an immersive afternoon in a pop-up bonsai studio within the gallery. Participants can bring their own bonsai and tools to work alongside him in a relaxed, collaborative setting, or simply observe as he demonstrates shaping, pruning, and refinement techniques. At 2:30pm, Michael will also give an artist talk about his work in Garden Variety and his approach to bonsai as both artistic subject and practice.