Program

20 Feb — 10 Mar 2025

Yayoi Kusama

Experience this ambitious world-premiere exhibition at NGV International, celebrating the illustrious career of iconic contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama.

Home Bound

Luke George and Daniel Kok

In Home Bound, diverse rope materials and practices are woven together to create a massive social tapestry. Members of different communities who do not typically share the same space collaborate to build a giant rope installation.

FROCK A WHANAUNGATANGA

The Pacific Sisters

An awe-inspiring exhibition and workshop series by legendary Tagata Moana (People of the Pacific) art collective, the Pacific Sisters.

Shadows in Twin Cities: Watch Me Fly (바람을 만난 그림자)

JESSICA WILSON AND GIJONG YOO

A large-scale video installation takes place simultaneously on the screens of Federation Square and a civic location in Jeonju.

Nightlife

Shadows in Twin Cities: Find My Shadow (그림자 숨바꼭질)

JESSICA WILSON AND GIJONG YOO

The shadows of children in Korea have flown across hemispheres. Can you find where they’ve landed?

Shadows in Twin Cities (쌍둥이 도시의 그림자들)

JESSICA WILSON AND GIJONG YOO

Shadows in Twin Cities brings together children from Jeonju (Korea) and Melbourne (Australia) in unusual conversations between each other and their city landscapes.

Bread, Circuses and Home

Thukral and Tagra

Consume the sights, tastes and sounds of Punjab in this vibrant installation and performance series about migration and resilience.

NGV Friday Nights

Exclusively yours after-hours, explore the largest exhibition of Yayoi Kusama’s work ever staged in Australia in a world-premiere exhibition featuring kaleidoscopic infinity mirror rooms, dancing pumpkins and immersive installations.

Shapeshifters

Phasmahammer (Justin Talplacido Shoulder), PANELIA (India), LỘC, MOWGLI and Tristan Jalleh

Shapeshifters is Asia TOPA’s sacred arena for performers and musicians who fluidly morph between bodies, cultures, space and time.

Nongkrong – Sarapan

NongKrong

A free, all-day event of sarapan (‘breakfast’) and performances presented by Nongkrong Festival that transforms the Square into a space to nongkrong – or to ‘hang out’ in Bahasa Indonesia.

Shadows in Twin Cities: Meet Me (너랑 나랑)

JESSICA WILSON AND GIJONG YOO

Explore the possibilities for play and conversation across hemispheres as you meet a new friend in Jeonju, Korea via a life-size video screen.

Bunjil Place x Asia TOPA Welcome Gathering

Fed Square x Asia TOPA Live

Glass Beams, TAMTAM and Shio

Join us for a free, all-ages gig in the heart of the city featuring incredible international acts and local stars.

Opening Nightlife

AnSo, Aurora Labeija (Thailand), kāmna, MaggZ, Rainbow Chan + Freedom Fly, Scarlett So Hung Son (Scotty So), Small FRY and Yeo + Will Morrisey

Arai? Aray!

Miss A, Fateeha and DJ Tha Wzard of Moro Beats (Philippines), Réjizz (Thailand), Subnet (Thailand), Pataphysics, Ladies Hip Hop Jam and The Unguided

INAMO Kiki Ball

Founding Mother of Naarm, Kianna 007 and Overall Founding Mother, Mira Silky (Mirasia)

乒乒乓乓 pin-pin-piàng-piàng

13 Cobra + Cloudy Ku, fareevader, Harrison Hall, Løst Reflexion, Mara Galagher, pinae 피네, SNR MASTER CHIN MIN, Tony Yap + Jack Riley, Vessa and Yumi Umiumare

乒乒乓乓 pin-pin-piàng-piàng pulls together the most innovative club artists from across the Asia-Pacific to create a genre-fluid experience steeped in Naarm/Melbourne’s iconic rave culture.

BLAX: ACT ONE

nudibranchia + Soju Gang (DJ), Katayanagi Twins (Aotearoa) , CONJAH, Kooljak + Friends (Movement) and Sapphic Flicks x YIRRAMBOI (Visuals)

YIRRAMBOI’s immersive club night invites you to step into a world reimagined.

Sensing Dark Matter

Su Wenchi

Sensing Dark Matter is a VR experience merging art and physics, inviting viewers to explore a speculative universe where dark matter and its gravitational effects become perceptible.

Māoriland Mini Film Festival

Goldfish

Terrapin in association with Aichi Prefectural Art Theater

Goldfish is a ground-breaking collaboration between celebrated Tasmanian puppetry company Terrapin and Japan’s Aichi Prefectural Art Theater, with performers from Australia and Japan.

The Prey And The Ruler

Senyawa + Aviva Endean + Lawrence English + Peter Knight, Rachel Shearer (Aotearoa), Cloudy Ku (TW/AU) and Ai Yamamoto (JP/AU)

Zones for outer orbit sound worlds, post-world atmospheres and deep rift drifts.

CLUB 4A: Night Vision

CORA, Moopie b2b Kasun, Punko, Tra Mi Dinh, MaggZ and Passive Kneeling

Sydney’s celebrated CLUB 4A descends on Melbourne for Night Vision.

THE B_B

Betty Apple, Betty Grumble, LinGia (Homopleasure), HipHopHoe, AKA. Housekeeper, Andrea Illes and Frankie Van Kan

THE B_B unites performance priestesses Betty Apple and Betty Grumble in a transcendent dance ritual where digital mystics become flesh, pussy power meets sonic protest and the B-side of reality erupts into collective ecstasy.