NGV reopens its doors to Melbourne

After yet another extended COVID lockdown, NGV will reopen their doors on Wednesday 3 November to (socially distanced) crowds of art enthusiasts and savants. In what can be viewed as a sign of a return to normalcy, patrons will be able to be wowed by world-premiere exhibitions, groundbreaking artwork and historical masterpieces. Milk Bar is here to give you a run-through of what you can expect to see in the next few weeks. So, dust off your art smock and roll up your sleeves.

Up first is the extended season of Camille Henrot: Is Today Tomorrow. Considered one of the most compelling contemporary artists today, the Berlin-based artist is known for mastering diverse media including sculpture, drawing, video and installation. Among the standouts is the immersive, room-scale installation The Pale Fox, 2014, a companion piece to the widely exhibited Grosse Fatigue, 2013, for which Henrot was awarded the Silver Lion at the 55th Venice Biennale for most promising young artist. Camille Henrot is open to 30 January 2022.

Displaying more than three decades of artistry, Maree Clarke: Ancestral Memories is the first major retrospective of Melbourne-based artist and designer, Maree Clarke. A Yorta Yorta, Wamba Wamba, Mutti Mutti and Boonwurrung woman, the pieces reflect Clarke’s position as a pivotal figure in the reclamation of south-east Australian Aboriginal art and cultural practices and have a passion for reviving and sharing elements of Aboriginal culture that were lost – or lying dormant – as a consequence of colonisation. Maree Clarke is open to 6 February 2022.

Golden Shells and the Gentle Mastery of Japanese Lacquer will celebrate the Japanese historical ‘shell matching’ game, kai-awase, commissioned by Melbourne philanthropist and NGV donor, Pauline Gandel AC. Comprising two large lacquerware shell boxes and 360 matching pairs of gold-gilded and hand-painted shells featuring designs of flowers from Japan, the Asia Pacific region and Australia, this is the first kai-awase game to be produced in over 150 years and the first to be exhibited in Australia

Coming in December, visitors should look out for Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto (opening 4 December); Bark Ladies; Eleven Artists from Yirrkala (opening 17 December); and The Gecko and the Mermaid (also opening 17 December).

‘The NGV is pleased to welcome visitors back to our venues in line with the Victorian Government advice. We are grateful for the ongoing support we have received via our virtual programming throughout the recent closure and look forward [to] reconnecting with our valued community on site,’ says Tony Ellwood AM, Director, NGV.

Upon arrival, visitors will be asked to present proof of vaccination status if over the age of 16 and enter contact details for contact tracing purposes.

We look forward to our next visit to NGV!

NGV
Open from 3 November 2021
NGV International, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, 3006
ngv.vic.gov.au

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