黑料不打烊

The National Gallery of Victoria Triennial event in Melbourne, Australia is underway – also known as the NGV Triennial 2023 – first opening on December 3, 2023, and running until April 7, 2024. The NGV Triennial offers a compelling and poignant portrayal of the current global landscape, showcasing the creations of 120 artists, designers, and collectives who are leading figures in contemporary practice worldwide. By fostering a dialogue among contemporary art, design, and architecture, spanning all four levels of NGV International, the exhibition presents over 100 remarkable projects. These projects encourage us to contemplate the present state of the world and prompt us to envision the possibilities of how we would like it to evolve. The remarkable larger-than-life exhibit has a lot of elements worth unpacking, and I was lucky enough to have my questions answered by Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, Design, and Architecture, Ewan McEoin.

Thomas J. Price, Installation view of bronze statues. Courtesy of NGV.

The NGV Triennial will debut over 25 projects specially commissioned by the NGV, showcasing the remarkable ability of both established and emerging artists to capture and narrate the stories of our era. Many of these works will become part of the NGV Collection, ensuring a lasting legacy for Victoria that can be appreciated by generations to come. Visitors will be immersed in a diverse array of art forms and disciplines, spanning robotics to AI, textiles to sculpture, and animatronics to conceptual art. And best of all, the exhibition is free. According to curator McEoin, the rationale is simple: “We believe that it is essential in the world today to develop exhibitions such as this that offer the broadest audiences possible an insight into what is happening, what artists and designers are thinking. Ticketing this show would contradict everything that it stands for – which is about collective awareness of the world around, and the role of art, design, [and] creativity in shaping a positive future.”

Franziska Futer, Installation View of , 2023, artwork made of glass beads, rug with infrared images. Courtesy of NGV.

What this show stands for is encapsulated by the thematic pillars: Magic, Matter, and Memory. McEoin developed these themes not as a navigational or grouping tool, but as a “more subtle […] topical arena into which each project coalesces.” Rather than three separate themes, the boundaries between these pillars are permeable, with discourse that overlaps and assists in establishing a sort of flow that carries throughout the exhibition. There are some “anchor works,” which are major commissions that are foundational pieces which the other pieces from the theme extend from. The first, Magic, explores, in McEoin’s words, “the human spirit,” focusing on belief systems, allegory, symbolism, and the intricate interweaving of ancient knowledge, science, and technology – unveiling the ways in which human spirituality has influenced and molded our world. While drawing from the past, Magic isn’t confined to what has happened, but focusing on what may happen on the road ahead. The two foundational pieces in Magic are Liquid skies/Gyrwynt (meaning “hurricane” in Welsch), by Swiss artist Franziska Futer, which depicts a composite of multiple infrared satellite images of hurricanes; and the other is Mun-Dirra (Maningrida Fish Fence), a 100-meter-long woven work made by a group of 10 Aboriginal women from the remote settlement of Maningrida on the monsoonal coast of Australia’s Northern Territory, the names of whom are below. Magic serves as a platform to expose our diverse beliefs as human beings, and relates to the other nicely: Matter and Memory.

      Freda Ali Burarra-Martay, Freda Wayartja Ali Burarra-Martay, Maureen Ali Burarra-Martay, Cecille Baker Burarra-Martay, Michelle Baker Burarra, Bonnie Burarngarr Burarra/Yan-nhanu, Gabriella Garrimara Burarra, Doreen Jinggarrabarra Burarra Anbarra, Lorna Ji-n-gubarrangunyja Burarra-Martay, Jennifer Prudence Burarra-Martay, Zoe Prudence Burarra-Martay, Anthea Steward Burarra-Martay, Installation View of ), ca. 2020-2023, woven local plant material. Courtesy of NGV.

In Matter, nature, material, and making come together to focus on creation and our reliance on natural systems – “frameworks of biology, geology, and physics.” Matter reflects on the central role that materials have always played in shaping the tools, artifacts, and industries of human culture that our current era relies on. The anchor pieces in this theme include Switzerland-born Julian Charrière’s And Beneath It All Flows Liquid Fire, a piece of structural objects and images, both moving and still, and (This is) Air, developed by Nic Brunsdon in collaboration with ENESS, which uses air as a building material to create a large spherical structure that morphs outside throughout the day. Memory shines a light on both the positive, negative, and more neutral histories of people, places, and objects contributing to the complex tapestry of our modern world. Reflecting on the past is essential in understanding our present world and circumstances, and our identities and experiences, both individual and shared. This provides a foundation for contemplating the future. Anchor pieces in this theme include English sculptural artist Thomas J. Price’s All In and Reaching Out, as well as Megacities, a 500-image series for which 10 photographers captured 10 global megacities, where the population exceeds 10 million: Cairo, Delhi, Dhaka, Jakarta, Lagos, Mexico City, São Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai, and Tokyo.

Julian Charrière, , 2019, sculpture, still image, film. Courtesy of NGV.

Mas Agung Wilis Yudha Baskoro (Jakarta, Indonesia), Yagazie Emezi (Lagos, Nigeria), Hana Gamal (Cairo, Egypt), Mikiko Hara (Tokyo, Japan), Saumya Khandelwhal (Delhi, India), Gustavo Minas (São Paulo, Brazil), Chen Ronghui (Shanghai, China), Francisco Mata Rosas (Mexico City, Mexico), Farhana Satu (Dhaka, Bangladesh), and JT White (Seoul, South Korea), , 2023, photography. Courtesy of NGV.

While these themes may feel very human-centric and history-based, there are some pieces that embody our era in a more unconventional way, for instance with the piece being made during the exhibition. One example: Yoko Ono’s My Mommy is Beautiful, a participatory project where visitors are invited to write their own reflections about their mothers, and can attach photographs to the canvases that will eventually spill onto the walls. The second is centered on tech, one of two AI-related pieces: Agnieszka Pilat’s Heterobota, in which her artistic vision is carried out autonomously by Boston Dynamics robotic dogs. And the last is David Shrigley’s Tennis Ball Exchange, an interactive installation that incorporates over 8,000 tennis balls actively swapped by the audience. Over time, the shelves filled with once-fresh tennis balls will be replaced by donated ones that McEoin describes as “scribbled over, slobbered on, branded, and bedazzled.”

Agnieszka Pilat, Installation view of , 2023-2024, paint, Boston Dynamics robotic dogs. Courtesy of NGV.

This year’s NGV Triennial is particularly unique, from the three in-progress works, the wide variety of native, aboriginal works, avant-garde instillations, and more, all fitting in to the fascinating thematic pillars of Magic, Matter, and Memory. While the Triennial is always an event worth tuning in to, McEoin’s careful curation of this exhibition makes it a powerful journey through past, present, and future.

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