A Vast Creativity

Melbourne Now at the NGV Every five years we measure the character of our population by way a national census; we then use the collected information to chart a course for our collective communities. This is who we are, therefore here is where we can go. The upcoming summer exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria – volubly titled Melbourne Now – serves as a form of creative census for Melbourne, in which the city’s artistic inventiveness is counted, considered, and presented to the public at large. And be prepared, public at large, the tally is vast. Of course such an analogy is not wholly accurate in this case, since the physical constraints of an art exhibition (as opposed to a ream of ledgers, for instance) means that only a portion of the city’s sprawling creative community can be represented in the survey. But with a squad of over 400 artists, designers, architects, and other inventor-types taking part in the exhibition – spread across 8000 square metres of gallery space – Melbourne Now takes stock of the local talent on an unprecedented scale. As a result, this exhibition may provide the information that directs the course of the city’s creative output over the coming decades. This ambitious undertaking is the brainchild of NGV director Tony Ellwood, who originally imagined the exhibition (at the breakfast table – always nice to know how these things come about) as a modest salute to the disproportionate amount of contemporary art produced in Melbourne. After consulting with his colleagues at the gallery, the exhibition began to take shape. And subsequently grew. It also evolved into a determinedly cross-discipline affair, extending well beyond the oftentimes insular domain of contemporary art and embracing the practices of design more broadly. Such a move, to present design practice alongside ‘pure’ art, is not in fact unusual. Indeed from the earliest moments in western art history, the two spheres have been inseparable; only in recent decades has contemporary art removed itself from the design domain. Throughout the summer months, Melbourne Now will give both locals and visitors a host of opportunities to witness and participate in the visual arts scene, with performance-based activities, large-scale installations, and various forms of exhibition and display. Several works will feature in the NGV’s St Kilda Road foyer, including a new, characteristically cerebral work from architect Rory Hyde, which also incorporates a personal reflection from Hyde on the history of the NGV building. The title of the exhibition, Melbourne Now, might initially seem too broad or too hubristic to signify a single project, since who could justifiably make one pronouncement to cover such a diverse and seemingly incalculable subject matter? But with an expansive tally of creatives counted in their pseudo-census, the NGV has a degree of weight to throw around with that title. Participants include Brook Andrew, Marco Fusinato, Brent Harris, Bindi Cole, Toni Maticevski, and Callum Morton. According to Max Delaney, senior contemporary curator at the NGV, this project was designed to “harness the energy of the city”. In turn, no doubt, it will create new energy for the city – and a nice bit of buzz. The Melbourne Review will feature substantial online coverage of Melbourne Now (November 22 – March 23) over the following months. ngv.vic.gov.au   Images 1) Lauren Berkowitz Various medicinal and edible food plants COMMISSION Photo: Kalli Karvelas, La Trobe University 2) Daniel Crooks born New Zealand 1973, arrived Australia 1994 A garden of parallel paths 2012 (still) single-channel High Definition video, colour, 16:9 Private collection © the artist and Anna Schwartz Gallery 3) Kristin McIver born Australia 1974 Sitting piece 2012 Neon, chair, viewer 10.0 x 400.0 cm National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Purchased, Victorian Foundation for Living Australian Artists, 2013 Photo: Tim Gresham 4) Ash Keating born Australia 1980 West Park Proposition 2012 (production still by Greta Costello for Ash Keating) three channel synchronised HD digital video transferred to hard drive National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Purchased NGV Foundation, 2012 (2012.318)