Sip on champagne and suck down some oysters as you enjoy NGV Friday Nights’ French-themed return.
After 262 days of lockdown and almost two years devoid of entertainment, Melbourne is reviving the thriving live music, arts and cultural scenes the city was synonymous with pre-2020. A mainstay of the Melbourne cultural calendar, NGV’s seasonal celebration of art and live music, NGV Friday Nights, is set to return this month.
The program will take inspiration from the gallery’s two summer exhibitions, Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto and Bark Ladies: Eleven Artists from Yirrkala, providing after-hours access to both shows alongside a curated roster of live music performances and a special selection of Chanel-inspired drinking and dining experiences.
Check out Melbourne’s latest art exhibitions and events here.
“We’re delighted to welcome Friday Nights back to the NGV for summer and offer our visitors late-night access to Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto and Bark Ladies: Eleven Artists from Yirrkala,” said Tony Ellwood AM, Director, NGV.
“Melbourne has missed live music and events in recent times and we’re proud to be bringing it back to the NGV and to be able to reconnect with the community through great art, music and food.”
The art
Opening on Saturday December 4, Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto explores Gabrielle Chanel’s contribution to 20th Century fashion culture. Presented in partnership with Parisian fashion museum, Palais Galliera, the exhibition is the first of its kind in Australia.
Bringing together pieces from the heritage collections of the Paris fashion house, public museums and private collections, the exhibition will feature over 100 outfits as well as cosmetics, jewellery, accessories and perfumes from across Gabrielle Chanel’s influential career.
Spanning nine sections, the expansive exhibition highlights how Chanel transformed fashion with her innovative ideas inspired by the female form and the lifestyles of modern women.
On December 17, NGV will premiere Bark Ladies: Eleven Artists from Yirrkala, a major ground floor exhibition showcasing NGV’s extensive collection of bark paintings and larrakitj (painted hollow poles) by female artists working from Northeast Arnhem Land’s Yolŋu-run art centre, Buku Larrngay Mulka Centre (Buku).
According to Yolŋu Law, sea and land are connected in a single cycle of life for which the Yolŋu hold their songs, sacred designs and art. The innovative works of the Yolŋu women channel this belief using the unique medium of bark, culminating in truly exquisite artworks.
The music
As always, the live music component of NGV Friday Nights features an eclectic spread of local acts.
This summer’s program is all about DJs, with late-night sets traversing pop, disco, lounge and house music going down across the NGV garden and gorgeous Great Hall.
From the experimental synth-pop stylings of Simona Castricum to Banoffee’s R&B-soaked electro-pop and DJ JNETT’s boundless wax archive, the lineup brings together an incredible breadth of Melbourne DJs and electronic musicians.
The genre-spanning program also features the likes of Afrodisiac, Renee Delay, James Tom, Gay Roberto, MzRizk, River Yarra, DJ Jimmy James, IN2STELLAR, Hot Wax Sound System, Edd Fisher, Kalyani, Andras, Max Vegas, Noise in my Head, Bertie, Pjenne, Morgan Wright, Tanzer, Beth Grace, The Dollar Bin Darlings, Katie Pearson, Jade Zoe, Sullivan Patten, and Natalie Ex across its mammoth four month run.
The food
Supporting Melbourne’s deliciously diverse hospitality scene, NGV Friday Nights will put on a French-inspired spread including local wines at the Yering Station wine bar, bubbles at The Pommery Champagne Bar, plus oysters and a selection of cuvées from the Gallery Kitchen cafe.
In the garden, the Four Pillars Gin Bar will be pouring G&Ts and bespoke cocktails to keep you cool on those balmy, summer evenings.
NGV Friday Nights runs from December 10 to April 22 at NGV International. For tickets and the full program, visit the NGV website.
