The second edition of the ground-breaking exhibition Melbourne Now at The Ian Potter Centre: National Gallery Of Victoria (NGV) Australia highlights the extraordinary work of more than 200 Victorian-based artists, designers, studios and firms whose practices are shaping the cultural landscape of Melbourne and Victoria.
The free exhibition features more than 200 ambitious and thought-provoking projects on display – including more than 70 world premiere works, commissioned especially by NGV.
The exhibition traverses all levels of The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia. There’s a diverse range of fashion, jewellery, painting, sculpture, architecture, ceramics, video, virtual reality, performance, photography, printmaking, product design and publishing. Exhibiting artists including Christian Thompson AO, Esther Stewart, Atong Atem, Mia Boe, Kait James, Pitcha Makin Fellas, Layla Vardo, Nicholas Mangan, Fiona Abicare, Meagan Streader, Sean Hogan, Amos Gebhardt, and Lisa Reid.
Never-before-seen commissions include a room-sized ‘temple’, constructed from thousands of computer fans by emerging artist Rel Pham. Lou Hubbard’s Walkers With Dinosaurs sees a mass of inflatable walking frames, tumbling out into the foyer of The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia’s third floor.
Made in collaboration with Kyoto-based lantern studio Kojima Shōten, Larrakia, Wardaman and Karajarri artist Jenna Lee will illuminate the gallery with a series of large-scale paper lanterns. Lee Darroch’s 10-metro-long installation Duta Ganha Woka (Save Mother Earth Now) comprising driftwood collected on Country will welcome visitors to NGV Australia.
Also on display is a huge sculptural work by Troy Emery, exploring humankind’s relationship with animals. The hugely popular Design Wall will return too, with a large-scale installation celebrating consumer products designed in Melbourne over the past decade including guitars, ladders, pillows, luggage, motorbikes and more.
Fashion Now will highlight the work of 18 local designers with more than 30 recent acquisitions and loans including Ngali, Chris Ran Lin, Arnsdorf, Blair Archibald, Nixi Killick, Erik Yvon, Strateas Carlucci and Verner.
Fashion Now - Image © Sean Fennessy
“There’s a reason Melbourne is Australia’s creative capital and this is it – our extraordinary community of artists, designers and creatives,” Minister For Creative Industries Steve Dimopoulos MP says. “We’re backing this must-see exhibition and epic celebration of our local talent. Melbourne Now is eclectic, inspiring, fun – and free for all to enjoy.”
“Melbourne Now is a show-stopping and dynamic survey of work by more than 200 leading Victorian-based practitioners, offering an exciting and thought-provoking snapshot of the limitless creativity empowering this city and its surrounds,” NGV Director Tony Ellowood says.
“Ranging from large-scale, never-before-seen commissions through to moments of quiet reflection and contemplation, this exhibition highlights the diverse talents of Victorian artists and designers who are at the forefront of contemporary practice world-wide.”
“The 2023 exhibition marks the ten-year anniversary of the inaugural presentation and offers an unprecedented opportunity to reflect on how Melbourne and Victoria have transformed, changed and grown over the past decade. No other exhibition series reflects Victorian life and culture with such depth, nuance and breadth. We are excited to build upon this incredible legacy with this new, blockbuster presentation of Victorian creativity in 2023.”
Melbourne Now is on display at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia from 24 March-20 August.
