The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) will deliver one of its largest and most ambitious public program series ever presented as part of the large-scale, gallery-wide exhibition, Melbourne Now. Community Hall, inspired by the rich history of Australian community halls and the important role they play in Victoria’s metropolitan and regional communities, takes place at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, from 24 March to 20 August 2023. The program comprises over 350 talks, film screenings, live performances, events, workshops, drop-in activities and more.
The Community Hall program reflects on the diversity of the second edition of Melbourne Now. Bold in scope and scale, the exhibition highlights the work of more than 200 Victorian-based artists, designers, studios and firms whose practices are shaping the cultural landscape of Melbourne and Victoria.
Jo Lloyd. Courtesy and © the artist
Highlights include the Melbourne Now Performance Program, which presents a suite of newly commissioned performance works by leading Melbourne-based performance artists, choreographers and dancers, including APHIDS, Alicia Frankovich, Jo Lloyd and Joel Bray. Revealing performance as an artform with deep roots and a dynamic future in Melbourne, the works will be presented in Community Hall across the duration of the exhibition, commencing with Frankovich on 1, 8, 15 and 22 April.
Co-curated with Olivia Koh from recess – a Melbourne-based online platform showcasing contemporary moving-image works – NGV x recess: Artist Film Program comprises daily screenings in Community Hall. Created by twenty-one Melbourne-based filmmakers, the films highlight the city’s breadth of talent in art-filmmaking – and the dynamism of this expanding arena of creative practice.
Community Hall will also host Melbourne Now artists and designers for extended residencies, enabling visitors to meet and talk with artists and designers, and gain a deeper understanding of their practices. Each month, the Community Hall Artists in Residence series invites a different artist or designer to facilitate and curate a range of programs inspired by their practices, including talks, workshops and more. From March, Gracia & Louise, a.k.a. Gracia Haby and Louise Jennison, will lead discussions focused on the care and protection of our local environment, as well as workshops for visitors of all ages, including making pouches for rescued wildlife. Future residencies include Brud Studia, Rel Pham and Jenna Lee.
To coincide with Pride Month, every Sunday in June the NGV and the Australian Queer Archives collaborate on a series of talks, discussions and workshops. Shining a light on subjects ranging from the importance of community archives, to art as an archival practice, these programs invite community members and Melbourne Now artists to reflect on the challenging process of documenting, sharing and interpreting marginalised histories and experiences.
In 2022, artist and composer Mia Salsjö composed the orchestral work A score for Fed Square in celebration of the landmark’s 20th anniversary. Commissioned by Federation Square and the NGV, the musical composition responds to the unique architecture of the Federation Square precinct. In an exclusive one-off performance on 29 April, musicians from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Cybec Assistant Conductor Carlo Antonioli, perform A score for Fed Square inside Melbourne Now’s Community Hall. Before the performance, Salsjö and Antonioli will discuss the project and the process of composing and performing the work, in a conversation hosted by NGV Curator Katharina Prugger.
Celebrating the opening weekend of Melbourne Now on 25 and 26 March, NGV will present two days of more than twenty-five free talks, tours and conversations led by NGV curators and featuring exhibiting artists and designers, exploring the city’s diverse creativity and innovation. Activities in Community Hall on the opening day of Melbourne Now on 24 March include a celebration of the role that international students play in the cultural life of Melbourne, with drawing activities led by NGV Community Ambassadors and a panel discussion featuring current and former international students, including artist Scotty So.
Melbourne Now will be on display from 24 March to 20 August 2023 at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia at Federation Square, Melbourne.
