Five-time ARIA award-winning Yolgnu hip-hop star Baker Boy will perform at the 2022 NGV Gala on Saturday 10 December with a set of his high-energy hits that have won the affection of audiences worldwide. A highlight of Australia’s cultural calendar, the NGV Gala is a celebration of art, fashion, music, and performance featuring live music, never-before-seen immersive event design, and experiential food and beverage offerings.
Baker Boy leads the all-Australian music line-up featuring DJ sets by Ebony Boadu, YO! MAFIA and Soju Gang. A proud Yolngu man and 2019 Young Australian of the Year, Danzal Baker OAM – also known as Baker Boy – burst onto the Australian music scene in 2017. Since then, he has been awarded the National Indigenous Music Awards in 2019, Artist of the Year in 2020 and has amassed over 60 million streams globally.
In 2022, the NGV Gala celebrates the opening of the summer blockbuster exhibition Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse and offers guests first access to this Australian-exclusive presentation. Organised by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, in partnership with the NGV, the exhibition features more than 110 garments by McQueen alongside 70 historical artworks that reveal the myriad reference points that influenced his designs.
On performing at the NGV Gala, Baker Boy said, ‘Fashion has become a big part of Baker Boy and I love the stories that it can tell, so it feels like a really good fit to be performing at the opening of NGV’s Alexander McQueen exhibition.’
The NGV Gala arrival experience begins with guests walking the ‘black carpet’ at the NGV International forecourt. Mercedes-Benz Australia will showcase its future generation of luxury cars built on new all-electric architecture with an EQS 53 wrapped in a glowing tartan decal to celebrate the influence of McQueen’s Scottish heritage on his designs. On arrival, guests can take part in the David Jones Muse video experience and share their slow-motion clip via social media.
In Federation Court, McQueen-inspired scenography, developed by the NGV in collaboration with Gloss Creative features luxurious styling and design-led furniture supplied by Dann Event Hire alongside exquisite floral arrangements by Flowers Vasette, evoking McQueen’s decadent palette and historical art references.
Four Pillars Gin enlivens Federation Court with a cocktail bar featuring drinks including the Omotesando with Yuzu Gin, lemon myrtle, and salted yuzu fizz; the Old Farshun using Australian Christmas Gin, Mr. Black coffee liqueur, wattle and macadamia; and the McQueen mixing Rare Dry Gin, Rhubi Mistelle liqueur, rosé vermouth and rhubarb bitters.
This year, Moët & Chandon joins the NGV Gala celebration as Champagne Partner, providing guests an exciting array of champagne experiences to share and enjoy alongside the Alexander McQueen exhibition. In the Great Hall, the Moët & Chandon Champagne Bar takes centre stage alongside a magical three-metre-high champagne tower and Moët & Chandon’s “Mini-Matic”, a unique champagne vending machine offering guests complimentary Moët Impérial Minis.
The Butterfly Room, located at NGV Garden Restaurant, evokes themes from McQueen’s iconic runway collections including Voss 2001, The Widows of Culloden 2006, and La Dame Bleue 2008. To the sound of dance sets by DJs Ed Fisher and Swerv, guests can enjoy canapes featuring local produce including duck prosciutto, fresh figs, black truffle and black pepper sable, and valrhona chocolate, orange cremaux and hazelnut crisp.
On the Ground Floor, The Den is a speakeasy-inspired whisky lounge offering a change in mood, with live jazz music and bar classics until late, including Glenmorangie Original 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, The Macallan 12 Year Old Sherry Oak Single Malt Scotch Whisky and Wild Skye spiced rum and ginger beer cocktail.
On the NGV Mezzanine level, the Yering Station Wine Bar offers guests a menu of fine wine coupled with a sweeping view over Federation Court. Yering Station serves its signature Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz Viognier throughout the entire evening, with the Yering Station dessert wine featured as a highlight of the Mezzanine Bar.
Tony Ellwood AM, Director, NGV and co-chair of the NGV Gala said: ‘After three years, we’re delighted to be welcoming back audiences to the NGV Gala, a major highlight of city’s cultural and events calendar. This year’s event is a bold celebration of Melbourne’s dynamic art, fashion, music and food scenes, while paying tribute to the visionary fashion designer Alexander McQueen.’
Edwina McCann, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Australia and co-chair of the NGV Gala said: ‘It’s hard to think of a more fitting way to mark a return to the world than the culmination of fashion, art and food that is the NGV Gala, this year in celebration of the work of true creative genius, the late Lee Alexander McQueen. Vogue Australia is thrilled to once again be a part of a world class event in a truly world class setting bringing together the best of local and international talent for the biggest night of the year.’
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ABOUT Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse
Organised by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse (11 December 2022 – 16 April 2023) is the first major Australian exhibition to explore the work of this boundary-pushing fashion designer. Showcasing 60 garments and accessories drawn from LACMA’s holdings of important works by McQueen, the Melbourne presentation also features nearly 50 designs by McQueen from the NGV Collection, making this Australian-exclusive presentation especially rich and comprehensive.
Offering an unprecedented insight into the mind of this seminal designer, McQueen’s work is presented alongside more than 70 historical artworks including painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts and works on paper from the collections of LACMA and NGV, that reveal the myriad reference points that influenced his designs. The juxtaposition of garments and artworks highlights McQueen’s creative process and capacity for storytelling, as well as offering audiences an opportunity to gain a deeper appreciation of his artistic legacy and the nature of inspiration.
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