A new exhibition examining the nature of the human experience through the works of 10 contemporary Australian artists opens this week at the National Portrait Gallery (NPG).

In the flesh includes a larger-than-life, three-metre sculpture of a naked man by Ron Mueck, artworks by controversial Skywhale artist Patricia Piccini, and a range of paintings, drawings and works in other media.

Curator Penny Grist said the central theme of the exhibition was "humanness", and what it meant to be human.

"It's about those moments in life when the nature of your mind being enfleshed in your body comes into conflict, or becomes heightened in your mind. Moments of mortality, as well as intimacy and empathy, vulnerability, restlessness, acceptance and self-reflection."

Ron Mueck's three-metre-high sculpture The Wild Man towers above art lovers at the National Portrait Gallery. ( ABC News: Kathleen Dyett )

Ms Grist said Mueck's Wild Man sculpture, with its muscular frame and hairy face and limbs, was a "extraordinary piece of work" that exemplified the theme.

"He's in such a dominating, enormous size... and yet his pose is one of utter terror," she said.

"As you approach him, it almost looks like he's afraid of you. And so that is a fantastic and extremely powerful way of exploring that idea of human vulnerability."

Mueck's very early career included work on the 1986 cult-classic fantasy film Labyrinth, starring David Bowie.

Originally from Melbourne, the artist is now based in the United Kingdom.

Skywhale artist Piccinini returns to Canberra

Piccinini's contribution is a sculpture called The Long Awaited, a dugong-like grandmother figure in an intimate sleeping pose with a child.

Artist Patricia Piccinini sits with her sculpture The Long Awaited at the National Portrait Gallery. ( ABC News: Kathleen Dyett )

The artwork was crafted from silicone, fibreglass, plywood and human hair.

Speaking at the gallery prior to the exhibition's opening, Piccinini said the work was a meditation on intimacy.

"In a lot of ways this work is about how we relate to the nature that's around us, but ultimately its a portrait of love," she said.

Other artists showcased included Natasha Bieniek, Robin Eley, Yanni Floros, Juan Ford, Petrina Hicks, Sam Jinks, Jan Nelson and Michael Peck.

In particular, Ms Grist described Nelson's psychedelic oils of adolescent youths, and the paintings of Eley and Ford, as "incredible" works of art.

Ms Grist said one of the reasons the exhibition was called In the flesh, was because it had to be experienced in person to be fully appreciated.

"You can’t really get a sense of the work and of its impact, from a photograph or from a screen," she said.

The NPG said the exhibition was the largest and most demanding it has ever put together, with 63 works from 37 lenders.

In the flesh opens on Friday, November 7 and runs until March 9, 2015.