At Melbourne’s NGV Triennial 2023, artists consider magic, matter and memory

Melbourne’s third NGV Triennial has opened, a snapshot of new and recent art, design and architecture from around the world as seen through the work of over 120 artists, designers and collectives. Loosely curated across three themes – Magic, Matter and Memory – NGV Triennial is a vast art experience that reads as a collective curatorial statement on contemporary interests.

Inside Melbourne NGV Triennial 2023

Visitors are greeted before they enter the building by a number of public artworks including a billboard by Yoko Ono declaring ‘I LOVE YOU EARTH’, David Shrigley’s phallic thumbs-up sculpture and, installed in the moat outside NGV, a monumental bronze eel trap by Wurundjeri artist Aunty Kim Wandin that references the craft and connections to land and water of local First Peoples.

Inside, NGV’s curatorial team have installed a vast and eclectic collection of recent acquisitions, new commissions and artworks that speak to the times we are living in. In the foyer, two large-scale sculptures by Thomas J Price highlight and seek to help correct the inadequate and prejudiced representations of Black people in art and the media. 

Some artists have their work installed in standalone galleries – such as the standout installation Mun-dirra, a monumental 100m-long woven fish fence which took 13 women artists from the Burarra language group working with three apprentices two years to create. A room by Elmgreen & Dragset brings together four works from across their practice, including What’s left, fig. 2, where a realistic sculpture of a man hangs singlehandedly from a tightrope, and The Balcony, where a metallic figure leans over the balcony, apparently photographing visitors. 

Elsewhere, works are interspersed in NGV’s permanent collections of art, design and fashion. Works by Tracey Emin include a 5m-high text-based neon light installation, while Agnieszka Pilat presents AI-enabled robot dogs that have been trained to paint.

Visitors that make it into NGV’s garden will find Nic Brunsdon’s experimental architectural commission (This is) Air that changes shape throughout the day as it expands and releases air, to draw attention to the universal act of breathing. It is hard to take in NGV Triennial in one visit, partly due to the expansive nature of the exhibition and partly due to the huge crowds it attracts.

3 December 2023 – 7 April 2024 at NGV International, Melbourne, ngv.vic.gov.au