Celebrating the MECCA x NGV Women In Design Commission and the recent announcement of the 2026 recipient, Xu Tiantian, we invite you to enjoy a day of free programming in NGV’s Great Hall, featuring insightful conversations, an interactive Chinese Knotting workshop, music by Mindy Meng Wang and refreshments from Allpress Espresso, Macha Mate and Raya Bakery.
Xu Tiantian is the fifth recipient of the MECCA x NGV Women in Design Commission, a major ongoing series that invites internationally renowned female designers and architects to create major new and significant work for the NGV Collection. Past recipients include Tatiana Bilbao (2022), Bethan Laura Wood (2023), Christien Meindertsma (2024), and Nipa Doshi (2025). The five-year series is enabled by a significant contribution from MECCA through its social change movement, M-POWER, which champions equality and opportunity for women and girls, including elevating women in art and design.
Xu Tiantian is an architect and the founding director of DnA Design and Architecture, based in Beijing, China. Her practice has gained international recognition for its impactful cultural and educational projects. Through contemporary architecture, Xu focuses on protecting and revitalising rural economies and cultural heritage in China. Her design approach emphasises community participation and engagement, empowering local residents and fostering a sense of ownership in the built environment.
Xu has received numerous accolades, including the WA China Architecture Award, the Young Architects Award from the Architectural League of New York; the Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture; and the 14th International Prize for Sustainable Architecture Gold Medal. She is also an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
For the 2026 MECCA x NGV Women in Design Commission, Xu will create a bamboo structure, titled Bamboo Theatre, which will be unveiled as part of the NGV Triennial.
PROGRAM
8.30–9.40am: Sound Bath with Mellow Habits (booking required)
NGV will open early for pre-registered guests for a group sound experience in the Great Hall, led by Zara of Mellow Habits.
Drawing on Xu Tiantian’s sensitivity to space and quiet intervention, this session invites guests to experience the hall differently—not just visually, but physically. Through gentle breathwork and resonant sound, including gongs and bowls, the space becomes something you feel as much as you see. A rare, unhurried pause before the museum opens to the public.
10am–3.30pm: Make your own bag charm – Chinese knotting workshop
Visitors are invited to use Chinese knotting techniques to create their own bag charm, using coloured paracord and selected beads.
Workshop will be for walk ins only. Suitable for ages 10+
11–11.30am: In Conversation – Xu Tiantian
Get to know 2026 recipient, Xu Tiantian as she sits down with NGV Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, Design and Architecture, Ewan McEoin to discuss the role of the Commission and the importance of furthering gender equality within design and architecture.
12–12.30pm: Beyond Retail – Designing the MECCA Experience
Following the 2025 opening of MECCA Bourke Street, MECCA has shifted the conversation from store design to experience design. Conceived as a cultural destination rather than a traditional retail space, MECCA Bourke Street brings together service design, spatial storytelling, brand strategy and creative collaboration to create a deeply human, multi-layered experience.
In this panel MECCA’s creative and strategic leaders are joined by an international perspective from former Selfridges Director of Brand Strategy. Together, they unpack how large-scale services and experiences are designed, from early concept to execution, and how partnerships with artists, designers and cultural institutions extend brands beyond physical space.
The discussion will explore designing at scale, embedding service within spatial environments, and balancing creative ambition with operational reality. Whether you work in design, are curious about the discipline, or have walked into MECCA Bourke Street and thought “how did MECCA do that?”, this session offers an inside look at the thinking, collaboration and design frameworks behind MECCA’s most ambitious projects to date.
Panelists
Alexandra Bokeyar, General Manager of MECCA-Maginations, MECCA’s own brands including MECCA Cosmetica, MECCA MAX and kit
Anna Cleaver, formally Director of Brand Strategy at Selfridges and currently in Australia working with MECCA as a Creative Projects Consultant
Sam Ziino, MECCA’s Head of Creative
Bianca Georgiou, MECCA’s Head of Creative Strategy
1–1.30pm, 1.40–2.20pm, 2.30–3pm: Performances – Mindy Meng Wang
Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 is a versatile Chinese/Australian composer and world-class modern guzheng player. She was born and trained in China, and studied western musicology in the UK before emigrating to Australia. A contemporary pioneer of the guzheng, she introduces the ancient Chinese horizontal harp into many western genres including experimental, jazz, western classical, electronic and improvisation.
PRESENTING PARTNER
