‘A Biography of Daphné’ casts the figure of Daphné, the nymph who turned into a laurel tree to evade Apollo’s assault, in relation to an extended investigation of metamorphosis, hybridity and entanglement in contemporary art.
Newly commissioned and existing works by Australian and international artists explore the integrity and vulnerability of bodies, their performative or prosthetic extensions, and entered alliances that open identity to the possibility of radical othering while touching on the enduring prevalence of misogyny and aggressions towards women that continue today.
Agostino dei Musi, Apollo and Daphne, 1515, engraving, 23 × 17cm (image); 23.4 × 17.3cm (sheet). Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. Purchased 1937. Courtesy Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
Australian Centre for Contemporary Art
26 June to 5 September 2021
Melbourne
