Melbourne Art Notes: NGV Triennial × MPavilion by Tadao Ando

In March 2024, I managed to visit the NGV Triennial at Melbourne's National Gallery of Victoria before it ended. As one of Australia's most anticipated art events since its 2017 debut, the NGV Triennial is free for the public.

Founded in 1861, National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) is Australia’s first public art gallery and the oldest of its kind. Its important collections include works like Giovanni Battista Tiepolo's The Banquet of Cleopatra and Picasso's The Weeping Woman. However, the most striking feature is the stunning stained glass ceiling in the main hall, created by Australian artist Leonard French. Spanning 51 meters by 15 meters and made up of over 16,000 hand-blown glass pieces, this ceiling is not only an architectural landmark but also a poetic dialogue of light and colour.

NGV Triennial
Opening hours: December 23, 2023 – April 7, 2024 | 10 AM – 5 PM
Address: National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
Ticket: Free admission
Website: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/


MPavilion 10: Tadao Ando
Opening hours: November 16, 2023 – 2030 | 9 AM – 4 PM
Address: Queen Victoria Gardens
Ticket: Free admission
Website: https://mpavilion.org/

《Really Good》｜David Shrigley

This year’s triennial features over 120 artists and creative teams from more than 30 countries, showcasing nearly 100 art projects. The exhibits span various media and concepts, including mechanics, artificial intelligence, textiles, sculpture, electronic animation, and conceptual art, offering countless surprises.

Upon entering the exhibition, visitors are greeted by David Shrigley’s towering seven-meter sculpture, Really Good (featured in the cover photo). Originally conceived for Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth, this humourous and satirical thumbs-up response reflects the mood around Brexit.

Flanking the entrance are posters of Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian and Ryan Gander’s The End, both located in the basement. Art news followers will likely recognize the banana taped to the wall from Comedian, which first appeared at Art Basel Miami in 2019 and sold for USD120,000. The museum even provides instructions to replace the banana every seven to ten days.

If you’re not paying close attention, you might miss Ryan Gander’s The End. A small hole in a white wall with an animatronic mouse sticking its head out from time to time, discussing existentialism, philosophical ideas, and pressing issues like climate change and the dominance of technology in a childlike voice, voiced by the artist’s daughter, subtly hinting at an ominous 'end.'

《Comedian》｜Maurizio Cattelan

The triennial’s works are spread across multiple floors of the gallery, some even juxtaposed with the permanent collection. On the second floor, you’ll find Tracey Emin’s Love Poem, presented in her signature neon style, exploring themes of love, desire, and loss.

《I Love You Earth》｜Yoko Ono

《The End》｜Ryan Gander

《My Mommy is Beautiful》｜Yoko Ono

Outside, Yoko Ono’s work I Love You Earth decorates the gallery’s exterior, while her participatory piece My Mommy is Beautiful invites visitors to share their feelings about their mothers by writing notes to be displayed on a wall, creating a shared platform to celebrate maternal love.

《Love Poem》｜Tracey Emin

Across the street in the Queen Victoria Gardens, the tenth MPavilion is also taking place. Since 2014, the Naomi Milgrom Foundation has invited outstanding architects, artists, and designers to create unique pavilions in the gardens. To mark the 10th anniversary, renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando has designed this year’s pavilion, his first architectural work in Australia.

MPavilion 10 showcases Ando’s signature minimalist concrete design, incorporating light and breezes into the open structure, harmonising with the natural beauty of the Melbourne gardens to create a tranquil space for contemplation.

(Update) In June 2025, it was announced that Tadao Ando’s pavilion will remain open until 2030. Remember to seize the opportunity to visit!