NGV Triennial

Term: 4 Year: 2017

In December 2017, the National Gallery of Victoria will launch the NGV Triennial – an exhilarating exhibition of contemporary art and design that will survey the world’s best artists and designers and present current ideas, practices and technologies in art, design, architecture, fashion and performance.

Presented across all four levels of NGV International, the NGV Triennial 2017 will feature the work of over 70 artists from over 30 countries, with themes of the Body, Change, Movement, Time, and the Virtual. Best of all, the exhibition will be completely free!

Among the many works on display, numerous works have been specially commissioned for the Triennial and will come into the NGV Collection. One of these is Flower Obsession, a participatory work by celebrated Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, which children and families will love. Visitors will be invited to apply plastic flowers and flower stickers to the walls, floor and objects in a constructed domestic space within the gallery, until, over the course of the exhibition, all surfaces are obliterated. Federation Court will house a colossal reclining Tang Dynasty-style Buddha adorned with classical Greco Roman sculptures, Eternity-Buddha in Nirvana 2016–17, by Chinese multimedia artist Xu Zhen. Ron Mueck, the Australian hyperrealist sculptor, has created one of his largest projects to date. Commissioned by the NGV, Mass will be unveiled at the opening of the exhibition, and will be presented amongst the portraits and still life paintings in the Dutch Galleries.

The Triennial will challenge visitors to consider new directions in art and design: Japanese art collective, teamLab, will immerse us in an interactive digital environment that responds to our presence and movement; Sissel Tolaas, smell designer and odour theorist, has created a work made of smells that collectively capture the character of Melbourne. Collaborative design projects with Indigenous Australians will explore the connection between design, production, community and sustainability. 

The much-loved NGV Kid’s Space will be transformed by the magic of Dutch collective WE MAKE CARPETS, with an elaborate patterned carpet made from reclaimed materials, while the Gallery Kitchen café will become a modern Moroccan tea house, designed by British-Moroccan artist Hassan Hajjaj.
As well as being an unmissable exhibition for art and design lovers of all ages, the NGV Triennial will provide a wealth of inspiration for educators interested in Science and Technology, English, Critical and Creative Thinking, and the Ethical, Intercultural and Personal and Social capabilities, raising questions about how we live, think and interact.

For more detailed information about the artists and their work, visit the Triennial Hub: www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/ngv-triennial/
For information about NGV Triennial Education programs and Professional Learning visit: www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/education/