It’s been several years since the Triennial descended on, in and around the NGV, however come Sunday 3 December, the all-encompassing exhibition will return for a free five-month season, this time around exploring the theme of magic—delving into belief systems, allegory and symbolism.
Like previous, the NGV is pulling out all the stops with 75 works across NGV International, with 75 projects from artists locally and abroad, along with 25 world premieres.
The line-up is extensive, to say the least, and while there isn’t necessarily one headliner over another, visitors will no doubt be drawn to the work of the divisive Yoko Ono, who’ll be presenting a large-scale text-based piece set to engulf the facade of the NGV International.
Pitch-black humourist David Shrigley is set to make his return to the NGV with a towering—and no doubt deeply ironic—sculpture, Really Good, which takes the form as a seven-metre-tall thumbs-up. Meanwhile, Polish-born Agnieszka Pilat will present a work at the intersection of technology and society, where a pack of AI robotic dogs will learn, train and paint a durational piece throughout the Triennial.
Tokyo-based artist Azuma Makoto is also joining the bill and exploring the fragile relationship between humans and plants, showing a space filled with Australian flowers and botanicals immortalised in acrylic blocks.
Further highlights include, but certainly not limited to, a major sculpture installation from American-based Sheila Hicks; an NGV-commissioned presentation titled Megacities, bringing together 10 of the world’s most renowned street photographers; a collaboration with Paris haute couture house Schiaparelli, and Petrit Halilaj’s Very Volcanic Over This Green Feather, a major installation exploring the artist’s lived experience during the Kosovan War.
Head over to the NGV for the full program.
Image credit: supplied