NGV International will extend opening hours until 8pm during January, with late-night access to Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei, NGV collection exhibitions, talks, DJs and food and drink offerings inspired by Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei in Gallery Kitchen and NGV Garden Café.
Tony Ellwood, Director, NGV said, ‘We are delighted to open NGV International until 8pm and we encourage visitors to visit with family and friends to experience a range of lively public programs and see summer blockbuster Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei and NGV Collection exhibitions.’
During extended hours in January, visitors can relax underneath the pink canopy of the Summer Architecture Commission by John Wardle Architects. In the twilight hours, visitors can listen to 3RRR DJs Simon Winkler and Lauren Taylor, Joe Brnadic, Chris Gill and Ennio Styles and visit the pop-up Garden Café, which will offer bar snacks and drinks until 8pm.
All NGV International exhibitions will be open until 8pm in January, including the largest international exhibition ever staged at the NGV, Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei, which features more than 300 artworks across the entire ground floor and includes a free children’s exhibition Studio Cats: Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei for Kids.
Other exhibitions include New Zealand-born, Melbourne-based artist Jess Johnson’s Wurm Haus, which uses virtual reality headsets to explore new artwork Ixian Gate, a dystopic universe inspired by science fiction and parallel universes. Blue: Alchemy of a Colour explores the meaning of the colour blue through highly detailed textiles, ceramics, and exquisite works on paper across thirteen centuries of art. Richard Mosse’s The Enclave is an immersive, maze-like film installation depicting the realities of war, tinged pink by Mosse’s infra-red film stock.
The popular installation clinamen, by French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, returns, occupying an entire room on the third floor of NGV International with a large blue pool filled with hundreds of gently chiming white porcelain bowls.
Other highlights include the recently-conserved John Rogers Herbert painting Moses bringing down the tables of the law (c. 1872-1878), which is one of the largest paintings in the NGV Collection and a new double-sided painting Great dancing pair (Grosses tanzpaar) 1923 by German expressionist Erich Heckel.
On select evenings, NGV curators will present free talks focusing on recent acquisitions to the NGV Collection, including Great dancing pair (Grosses tanzpaar) and standout works such as a Givenchy cocktail dress by Alexander McQueen and a version of the famous safety-pin dress worn by Liz Hurley and designed by Gianni Versace and.
The NGV wishes to gratefully acknowledge state government support of the NGV’s summer programming to enable extended hours for all members of our community to access art and culture over the holiday period.
Enjoy extended hours access (until 8pm) to the NGV Collection and all summer exhibitions at NGV International in January. Each Friday, stay later and be a part of Friday Nights at NGV (6–10pm) offering art, talks, food and bars, DJ sets and weekly live performances. Tickets for Friday Nights at NGV available at ngv.vic.gov.au.
PUBLIC PROGRAMS
New to the Collection – Insights by NGV curators
Wed 13 Jan, 6pm
Laurie Benson, Curator, International Art, discusses the acquisition of the NGV’s first German Expressionist painting, Erich Heckel’s Great dancing pair (Grosses tanzpaar), 1923
Thu 14 Jan, 6pm
Paola Di Trocchio, Curator, Fashion & Textiles shares Alexander McQueen for Givenchy’s Cocktail dress, 1997, featured in Eclect Dissect, McQueen’s final collection for Paris fashion house Givenchy.
Tue 19 Jan, 6pm
Danielle Whitfield, Curator, Fashion & Textiles discusses Gianni Versace’s Evening dress, 1994, a version of the a famous ‘safety-pin’ dress worn by Liz Hurley to the premiere of the film Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Thu 21 Jan, 6pm
Robyn Maxwell, Asian textiles scholar shares insights into the colour blue. Throughout Indonesia textiles are conspicuous in the many ceremonies marking an individual’s passage through life. This talk focuses on the role of the indigo dyed cloth on display in the exhibition.
DJs in the NGV Garden
Simon Winkler & Lauren Taylor: 2 – 6 and 30 and 31 Jan
Joe Brnadic: 10 – 14 Jan
Chris Gill: 16 – 21 Jan
Ennio Styles: 23 – 28 Jan